From the Other Side
by Shananigans10
Summary: Hermione's safe at Grimmauld Place until a changing Order makes her question everything she's ever been told about the, so called, darkest wizard of their time. Dark!Hermione(somewhat), OOC Characters, Non-con, Anti!Harry(somewhat), Anti!Ron, Anti!Order, EWE?, Only compatible up to GoF. Powerful!Hermione, Powerful!Draco, Torture, Angst, Dramione
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Welcome to my new story, From the Other Side. This is something I've never done before... it's Dark!Hermione... but it has a twist. I'm rather excited about it! It's seriously dark at times so if you're for real under eighteen you need to leave. If you don't want to read non-con, you might as well just turn around now. If you don't want to read about your favourite beloved character getting gruesomely murdered... just save yourself the time and go read something else.**

 **If you DO want to read those things than please continue on reading, you brave, brave soul, and let me know what you think!**

 **I'm doing things a little bit different this time. First off, I don't have this story even close to completion - crazy, I know. It's longer than anything I've ever written (I mean... way longer) and I just ran out of patience for posting. As of right now I have about fourteen chapters written, but I'm throwing out a guess that it'll be about 23 ish chapters long - ten pages a chapter. Phew.**

 **I'm going to post new chapters based on the reviews I get... I feel a little gross doing this because I've never been an author who has demanded reviews BUT I've been told time and time again that my stories are ridiculously under-reviewed, so this time you guys are going to have to work a little bit for the updates. (Hint: I've even, for the first time EVER written a sex scene, so it'll be worth it to get your chapters!)**

 **A huge thanks goes out to my seriously awesome beta - now if only she had an account here... I'm wearing her down though, and to a friend of mine, KomeKozzy425 for all her late night brainstorming sessions with me where I just text her 19 times in a row with ideas and she doesn't yell at me for being annoying. She also named this story, by the by.**

 **Anyway! Enjoy. Don't forget to review.**

 **Prologue**

Hermione stood perfectly still while looking out of her grimy bedroom window on the third floor of Grimmauld place; her reflection staring back at her with sad eyes as she tried to see past them to witness the thunderstorm that was raging outside the glass. She had been doing some serious thinking and knew without a doubt that she was going to defect. She was _tired_ of this damned house and its horrible occupants, _tired_ of being treated horribly and kept indoors, and _so fucking tired_ of being screamed at by people she used to consider her friends for no damned good reason.

Hermione had developed a dirty feeling deep within her soul; a dirty feeling formed slowly over time as she witnessed the real way that the Order of the Phoenix dealt with things that they found unpleasant and unsatisfactory – it was nothing like she had expected when she was still a school-girl. She'd been misled and mistreated on more than one occasion, but it hadn't become totally clear to her until she'd gotten into a huge fight with Harry a few evenings before. Hermione realized only a few short months in to serving the Order of the Phoenix after Hogwarts that she had been misled – a few months of sitting alone in the house while everyone else attended raids and did reconnaissance missions. She had been banned from leaving the property, no, the _house_ , the moment she stepped inside it. She didn't quite realize how far downhill her treatment had gone until she'd stood on the opposite side of the scrubbed kitchen table from Harry. The tendons in his neck were straining and a large vein in his forehead was looking close to destruction as his eyes blazed while he screamed at her. _Screamed_ , in front of the entire fucking order because she'd used her words stupidly about a matter that had been bothering her conscience since she'd first heard of it.

She thought someone had to bring up the treatment of their prisoners, the way that Senior members of the Order killed first and asked questions later, and the way none of them could even _fucking_ see that they were losing themselves wholly to the evil they were supposedly trying to fight.

She was sick of it. _Sick_. She was tired of being trapped in this goddamn hell-hole of a house and tired of being treated like some sort of servant. After she thought about it she realized it was incredibly reminiscent of her school days. It had been her responsibility to go over Harry and Ron's school work to ensure they passed, and now it was her responsibility to go over their horrific battle plans to ensure they won. At least in school she felt _appreciated_ for the effort she put into keeping them safe, alive, and passing. Now she got screamed at if something didn't turn out perfectly, even though she wasn't even allowed to join the _stupid fucking missions_ , so it's not like it was even remotely her fault if something didn't go as planned.

She was twenty years old and hadn't left the house in over two years – she was an unwilling captor of the light and she wanted out, out, _out!_ She had come to that startling conclusion the weekend before, and once it burrowed itself into her mind she was unable to get rid of the thought.

Yes. She wanted out.

Hermione Granger wasn't staring blankly out the window of her tiny bedroom in Grimmauld Place – no – Hermione Granger was planning her escape. The house had blood wards and so many protection spells once she left she'd never be able to get back inside unless she had help, but that wasn't a worry – she was _never_ fucking coming back to this house once she was gone.

She wasn't surprised that the thoughts running through her head nearly paralyzed her with fear, but she knew, without a doubt, that she couldn't stay in Grimmauld place one day longer. She was done, so fucking done with these people and their ways. She was done living under Harry bleeding Potter's thumb!

She was Hermione Granger, the brightest _fucking_ witch of her age, and she was done letting people decide her life and fate for her!

If the Order of the Phoenix wouldn't make her feel wanted, needed or let her fight – let her out of the goddamned house, even?

She'd find someone who would.

Hermione had been living the last two years in captivity because Harry and Ron didn't want to 'risk' her being out in the open when there were Death Eaters at every turn. Hermione wasn't sure if she completely believed that the Death Eaters were out in such forces, but she had no proof otherwise and Harry and Ron seemed incredibly sincere while trying to convince her of the danger when they had first arrived at headquarters.

In the beginning she had fought her two friends tooth and nail to be let out of the house. She had done everything in her power to ensure them that she was powerful and would be fine, that she needed to fight to feel as though she were contributing, that she _could_ fight – and could do it a hell of a lot better than one Ronald fucking Weasley. She probably knew and could perfectly execute more spells than that moron could even fucking dream about, but somehow she was the one _forced_ to stay inside, stagnating, while the red-headed wonder was out doing missions far too dangerous for him.

She'd fight them, but then Harry would turn to her with his emerald eyes downcast and mournful, his lips pulled down into a pout that, when he was really determined, was accompanied by a trembling chin and explain to her that he just didn't know what he would do if she were to be hurt or killed.

 _Only a couple of weeks_ , they had told her, _let us assess the situation and then you'll be free to do whatever you want, but please, for Harry's sake, stay inside where you'll be safe._

 _They'd love to find you alone in a raid, Hermione,_ they'd told her, _you're the epitome of Muggleborn and exactly the type person Voldemort wants to eradicate._

 _Let them try,_ she'd answered, knowing her strength in magic would help her immensely _. Let them try to attack me, Harry! I'm stronger and would kill them for even so much as looking at me cross-eyed._

 _He's specifically looking for you, Hermione, and you don't understand the type of spells being used. Avada is child's play compared to some of the things going on out there and he wants to kill you, you specifically - nothing will stop him from doing it if they find you. You're strong and he knows it – you'd ruin everything he's been trying to prove about Muggleborns!_ They'd insist once she started demanding to join raids.

Knowing Voldemort was specifically hunting for her scared her effectively enough and kept her quiet for at least four months but then that fear had passed. She'd spent many nights awake reading over every goddamned spell book she could get her hands on and then she'd plead to have her freedom again, even asking for something as little as sitting in the square across the street.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

The things her so-called friends did while they were raiding had slowly made her decide she didn't want any part in their "raids". They were insane and barbaric, especially one Ronald Weasley. She had come to the terms with the fact that he enjoyed destroying people, guilty or not, in a way that did make the Unforgiveable curses look like child's play.

She'd heard them speaking about it on more than one occasion, often enough to understand that her once gentle and somewhat clumsy friend had crossed the line completely and had teetered into the realm of sadistic.

 _"_ _Good job out there, Ron," Seamus Finnegan said admiringly as everyone who had been part of the raid that night tromped into the kitchen. Hermione could tell they'd all already been tended to by the Healers on the first floor judging by the scent of potions in the air, the funky coloured substances smeared on some of the men, and the bandages covering some of their heads, arms, and shoulders. Harry had limped in last, being held upright by Neville Longbottom, and Hermione couldn't even fucking bring herself to ask what had happened. She truly just didn't want to know._

 _Seamus made his way to the large cooler in the corner of the room and started passing out muggle beer to all the men who had joined him in the kitchen. The Order had been getting groceries in muggle London for over a year – it was much safer than trying to buy anything in the Wizarding World since the Death Eaters had taken over Diagon Alley._

 _"_ _Did you see it, Harry?" Ron asked, his face glowing with pride as he casually held onto the neck of the bottle of beer between his index and middle fingers. Hermione jammed herself in the corner of the room, reluctant to be there and even more so to be seen by that fucking psychopath. The look on his face bordered on deranged, his eyes wide - somewhat shiny, and his lips split into a grin that could only be described as eerie._

 _He looked around the room and his eyes landed on Hermione, causing her to squirm somewhat and cross her arms tightly across her chest in a defensive gesture. Ron watched her too closely most of the time and it made her nervous; she didn't want to attract his attention in any way, shape, or form, and whenever he did look at her he'd lick his lips unconsciously and watch her movements with narrowed eyes._

 _"_ _No," Harry said, lifting his leg tenderly and resting it on a chair opposite, a look of pain tightening his features for a moment before he sighed in relief and turned his full attention to his ginger haired friend. Ron's eyes skittered away from Hermione and he met Harry's gaze as the raven-haired wizard asked, "What happened?"_

 _"_ _It was so awesome," Ron started, excitement making his voice come out an octave higher than usual. "A huge Death Eater was coming straight for me, grinning madly as he brandished his wand. I knew he was going to hex me with something truly evil– it only took me a split second to decide what spell to use. His mask fell off when he shot his spell, but I dodged it, and judging by the colour it would have been truly horrific. Anyway, as I dodged I screamed my curse and watched as it hit him square in the chest – he dropped like a sack of shit and I couldn't even hold in my laugh at the look of shock and fear on his face. I walked right up to him, not scared at all, and looked in his face, watched his eyes until the full effect of the curse hit him. His eyes widened almost comically and then he exploded, his entrails shooting out everywhere and barely missing me. It was great."_

 _Ron laughed and smiled for his entire story, and at the end he released a sigh, almost like he was reminiscing about time spent with a fucking lover, or something pleasant instead of watching someone explode. Hermione felt sick._

 _"_ _Who was it?" Harry asked, and Hermione knew it wasn't because he felt even the slightest sliver of remorse – no, he wanted to know who's name he could cross off the fucking pathetic list they had of known Death Eaters and who got the kill. They'd even gone as far as to colour code it – each man was a specific colour and whenever they'd killed a known Death Eater they'd highlight his name in the proper hue._

 _It was truly disgusting._

 _"_ _No idea, Mate," Ron answered, so flippantly that Hermione wanted to scream and scream and scream._

 _She'd always thought that the point of the Order was to capture as many Death Eaters as possible, but keep them alive and put them away in jail. Not murder. This was not what she'd signed up for._

 _"_ _This wasn't supposed to be a raid." Hermione said seriously, jumping to her feet so quickly that the bench she was sharing with a few other members slid across the floor loudly, scraping across the stone and jostling the other members sitting upon it._

 _"_ _We did what we had to do, Hermione!" Harry snapped at her, rolling his eyes at her like she was some sort of insufferable girl who just didn't understand what was going on in the real world. Dumbledore sat on Harry's right, his expression looking somewhat smug, in her opinion – almost like he knew what was going to occur before the fight had even started._

 _"_ _Did they even have a chance? What did you fucking do, Harry?! Knock on the goddamned door and blow them away when they answered it, completely unawares what was happening?!"_

 _"_ _They were Death Eaters!" Harry screamed suddenly, losing control of his already unchecked emotions. He'd been slowly losing discipline over himself over the last two years, but Hermione knew when she saw the vein in his forehead start to throb that he was really going around the bend._

 _"_ _They were Pureblood!" Hermione corrected angrily, slamming her hands down on the table in front of her. She was so fucking tired of hearing this from Harry, and if no one else was going to stand up for what she, they all, felt was right, then she'd do it herself._

 _"_ _It's the same fucking thing!" Harry screamed, spittle flying from his twisting lips and landing on the table in front of him. His emerald eyes were blazing at her with pure hate, hate for daring to contradict him – the head of the stupid Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore had 'relinquished' his title to his young protégé, but everyone knew he was still pulling the strings in the background. Harry went to him for everything, questioned him about everything and ran every-fucking-thing by the old man before any decisions were made._

 _"_ _It isn't!" she insisted, looking around the table pleadingly, trying to meet even one person's eyes and receive their support, but she knew when the first three people she looked at avoided her gaze that she was in this alone. "It isn't the same, Harry, and I don't know why you can't see that! Just because they're Pureblood doesn't mean they're Death Eaters! Don't you see what's happening?! You're blaming everyone with a pure bloodline as being Death Eaters, even though we know there are families who just flat out refuse to follow them, but that doesn't matter to you! You kill them without a second thought just because it's what you feel is true and for whatever reason you can't see that you're becoming just as bad as Voldemort!"_

 _She knew the second the words left her lips that she had crossed a line. Each member sitting at the table sucked in a harsh breath as Harry's face turned red and splotchy, his lightning bolt scar seemed whiter than usual and he seemed to be expanding with his anger. Her eyes skittered away from his and once again tried to meet with other members' gazes at the table, and this time she was somewhat surprised to see the glares being leveled at her. Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur were all watching her with narrowed eyes and pursed lips – their jaws clenched tightly. They'd been against Hermione for months now. Actually, she thought she'd slowly started falling out of their fucking favour only a few short months after arriving. Ginny wasn't ill toward her, but she wasn't supportive either. It wasn't just the Weasley family glowering at her, though, every Senior member of the Order were looking completely unimpressed with her._

 _"_ _How dare you!?" Harry exploded, his hands waving around in the air as a testament to how out of control he was. "How dare you compare me to that complete bastard?! He killed my mum, Hermione, and my dad, and if your parents weren't obliviated and sent to Australia they would probably be dead, too! Look around you, you ungrateful bitch, and see how many people are in hiding because they're beyond terrified of that half-blooded fool out there, the man who kills and terrorizes just for thrills. He's out for Muggleborns because of their blood, Hermione, and you should be a little bit more concerned because you're the top of his list! Now get the fuck out of my sight before I remove you myself!"_

 _Hermione desperately wanted to point out that yes, Voldemort was out to kill Muggleborns because of their blood, but Harry was killing Purebloods because of theirs._

 _She didn't, though._

 _Instead she stomped over the bench seat she'd been sitting on and stormed from the kitchen, slamming the door so hard behind her that the drywall cracked from the doorframe to the ceiling._

Prejudiced, the whole lot of them.

 _"_ _We got him, Hermione!"_

 _"_ _Who?" she asked dryly from the kitchen table – she didn't particularly care who they'd murdered that night. It was always the same with them and she didn't want to hear the satisfaction in their voices when they told her about it._

 _"_ _Severus Snape," Harry answered, a sick grin on his face. Hermione's stomach clenched painfully._

 _"_ _Oh," She said, she didn't want to hear the details and wasn't going to encourage them by asking any questions._

 _"_ _He was just walking down a lane that we happened to be standing in. It wasn't planned or anything and he wasn't expecting a thing. It looked like he'd been buying potion supplies… shit, Ron! Why didn't we steal them?!"_

 _"_ _I didn't even think about it," Ron answered. "He didn't even see us, Hermione, but I'm glad he's gone. Fucking Death Eater."_

Disgusting.

Hermione had known for a while she wanted to leave, but she hadn't had any sort of plans until the night after the disastrous meeting. She'd been in the library, looking for the book that she knew had been in there at some point about Healing, but couldn't find it. She'd knocked down a stack of papers and was kneeling down, hidden behind the sofa, when she'd accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation that would change her life forever.

 _"_ _Can you believe that miserable bitch?" Ron asked, and he sounded like he'd imbibed in a few drinks before the conversation had started._

 _"_ _I think she's just tired of sitting indoors constantly, Ron." Ginny Weasley said. "Can you imagine how lonely she is?"_

 _"_ _Well maybe if she wasn't so fucking uptight she'd get laid," Ron sniggered, and Hermione just knew,_ just fucking knew _that they were talking about her._

 _"_ _She just wants to go outside," Ginny argued._

 _"_ _She can't," Harry snarled, "and you know why, so wipe that ridiculous goddamned look off your face, Ginny. I don't see why you're always trying to stick up for her and convince me to let her out of the house, but it's really starting to piss me off."_

 _"_ _I can't see how it would hurt to let her at least go into the yard, that's all I'm saying," Ginny answered crossly, and Hermione could just imagine her standing there with her arms wound tightly underneath her breasts, her dark eyes glaring._

 _"_ _Ginny," Harry snarled, and Hermione peeked around the sofa to see that Harry had the red-haired girl's bicep gripped tightly in his hand, Ron was watching on with a disturbing look on his face. It made Hermione feel like Harry had been physical with Ginny on more than one occasion and that Ron would stand by and watch. "I've explained this to you time and time again! They've been looking for Hermione since the moment we graduated and they aren't looking to kill her. If she goes outside they'll be able to trace her with her wand, but she's inside the wards here and untraceable. I don't understand why you don't seem to get it!"_

 _"_ _I don't understand why they want her, Harry! Let me go!"_

 _Hermione watched as Harry's hand gripped Ginny's arm even tighter, his fingers digging into her soft skin. He shoved his face forward so it was only an inch from Ginny's, and Hermione had to give the girl credit – she didn't back away or even flinch, but glared at the dark-haired boy with pure hate._

 _Hermione never expected the two of them to have a falling out. As far as she was concerned Ginny would follow Harry blindly into whatever he was doing, would follow him off the edge of a fucking cliff or into the burning fires of hell._

 _"_ _She's powerful, Ginny, and they know it. She could be the tipping point of this goddamned war and she could help them! I already told you about the prophecy and if you forgot about it that isn't my fucking problem – she can't leave because if they get their hands on her everything I'm fighting for would be for nothing!"_

 _"_ _You're going about this wrong, Harry! You need to use her, to let her join you guys! You don't want her out there because you don't want her to suddenly learn what you're actually fighting for! You don't want her to see how things have changed out there!"_

 _There was a slapping noise, and Hermione peeked around the couch just to see Ginny's face turned to the side, her hair draped over her shoulder and covering her face from Hermione's view. Harry's hand was raised again in a threatening manner and Ron was watching on, almost panting with the joy and pleasure about what was taking place._

 _"_ _You won't hint anything to her, Ginny, or so help me."_

 _"_ _If I was going to try and inform her about all this bullshit I would have done it a year ago, Harry. Now let me go."_

 _Harry let go of Ginny's arm and the girl shook it, flexing her fingers before turning away and fleeing the room. Harry and Ron both followed, heading in the opposite direction toward the kitchen._

So Voldemort wanted her for her power and would use her, would allow her to step one toe outside of the front fucking door. She'd reserve judgement on whether it would be a smart move or not once she arranged some sort of meeting with a contact – if Voldemort was as bad as she'd heard she'd be lucky to survive the initial meeting with him, but if she didn't, well, she really didn't have anything to fucking lose. So what? He'd kill her?

Maybe she'd at least get to find out what exactly Ginny meant when she said they didn't want Hermione to see what they were actually fighting for. Would see how things had changed out there. Maybe she'd get some sort of understanding before she was murdered.

Hermione turned away from the window and threw the remaining items on her bed into the trunk that stood open near the footboard.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is a VIOLENT chapter - it includes non-con, so fair warning.**

 **Big thanks to my beta who STILL hasn't made an account and to KomeKozzy425 for all of their help making this story what it is!**

 **Remember to review!**

 **Chapter One**

Hermione threw her notebook into her trunk – it was covered in scribbles that were notes about all the spells she'd been teaching herself lately and slammed the lid of her trunk closed. She had taught herself wandless and non-verbal magic almost a year before and most recently was trying to find books about healing – they'd all disappeared though. She locked her trunk with her wand before shrinking it down to a manageable size and thrusting it into the pocket of her jeans. She was scanning her bedroom one last time to ensure she didn't forget anything when there was a violent knock on her door.

Hermione puffed out a breath and thought about ignoring it, but if she ignored it then those fucking idiots would know she'd left that much sooner. She needed sufficient time to get away before they knew she'd gone – she would apparate of course, but apparation wasn't completely untraceable within the first twenty minutes– a fact she'd learned from one of the many texts she'd been studying and something she'd wager Dumbledore definitely knew and was just keeping from everyone else. Harry probably fucking knew too, aresehole that he was, she decided.

She approached the door and pulled it open, her guard completely dropped because she was just so goddamned happy about leaving the dreadful house she'd been held captive in for the last couple years.

Hermione was blasted off her feet, blown backwards, cracking her head off the wood floor when she landed. She groaned in pain, her vision swimming and colourful stars blinking in front her eyes, and she reached back to feel the wound on her head.

"Expelliarmus!" She gasped, hoping against hope that she'd somehow get lucky once in her _fucking life_ and hit her mark.

Ron laughed, _laughed,_ and almost sounded deranged as Hermione's spell went wide and hit the wall feet from where he was standing.

"Gunna have to do better than that, shweetheart," he gasped out after his fit of high pitched laughter.

Hermione picked up the slur to his words and realized Ron was drunk. Her head was still swimming but she forced her eyes to focus on the man in front of her, she was shocked to see that he was completely naked except for a wand holster strapped to his right arm. His broad chest met defined abdominal muscles, and his arms were wiry and thick. His chest was smattered with slightly darker red, coarse hairs that also covered his arms and legs. A line of the hair went from his belly button and joined a thick thatch of pubic hairs, his erect penis jutting out proudly from the area. Hermione's eyes widened in horror and she turned onto her stomach frantically and started crawling away from him on her hands and knees, desperate to get to the window.

"Shtop it!" Ron roared, and grabbed her by the foot roughly, squeezing her ankle tightly in his strong hands. She fought him and continued to try to crawl away from him, clawing across the wooden floor and breaking her nails in the process – they snapped off as she dug her fingers into the floor in an attempt to pull herself away from the deranged man who had a tight hold on her ankle.

He squeezed harder and flipped her around so she was on her back, giving her the opportunity to kick out with her other foot, catching Ron square in the face. She felt the satisfying crunch of his nose beneath her heel and felt even better when she felt the flow of blood rush over her foot as Ron groaned loudly. The pain radiated from him as he dropped her now swollen ankle and held both hands over his nose.

"You fucking bitch!" He shouted, blood running over his chin and down his chest, staining his naked skin red. Hermione allowed herself a small smile of success before she raised her wand and pointed it directly at Ron's face.

"Get the fuck out!" she snarled, her hand trembling slightly from the adrenaline of such a sudden attack.

Ron stood in front of her and it seemed as though he had come to his senses, he turned away from her slowly and lifted an arm toward the doorknob causing Hermione to relax now that he was leaving. Ron seemed to sense that she'd dropped her wand slightly, her defenses going down again, and before she even realized what was happening he'd dropped onto her and punched her ruthlessly in the side of the face a few times in quick succession. The inside of her cheek split against her teeth and blood flooded into her mouth and before she could even recover from that Ron had hit her again, this time in the throat.

Hermione felt as though her esophagus had collapsed – she couldn't breathe and her head started to swim again as her one hand clawed at Ron's shoulders on their own accord, digging her jagged and broken nails into his skin. She lifted her other arm and pointed her wand again, but because her vision was going black she couldn't see what she was doing. Before her sluggish brain could even decide on a spell to use she felt her wand slip from her grasp. She'd never be able to use her wandless magic now – her head was way too fuzzy and she could barely do magic with her wand, she wouldn't be able to focus as much as she needed to in order to do it without a wand.

She suddenly gasped in a breath, her lungs screaming in protest at the lack of oxygen and she could feel Ron's hands everywhere. Ripping her clothes and pinching her soft skin and leaving finger sized bruises, scratching her carelessly as he ruthlessly discarded her clothes. Hermione's hands started clawing at the red-head again with both hands now, his shoulders were slippery and after she'd sucked in some air she forced herself to focus on them, noticing she'd hurt him somewhat. His shoulders were bloody and slick; she felt a small sense of satisfaction.

Ron was divesting her of her clothes quickly, tearing at them and shredding them off as though in a frenzy. Hermione squirmed away for all she was worth, kicking and hitting the man, but instead of hurting him she was only succeeding in annoying him and he struck out at her again.

"Fuck, just stay still!" He hissed, peeling her jeans and knickers down her legs quickly and pulling them from her feet in one fluid motion. Hermione kicked and kicked _and kicked_ , and caught Ron hard in the chest this time, his breath expelling from his lungs in a hiss of pain.

She wouldn't stay still, there was no way she would just lay there calmly and allow him to rape her without even fighting back.

"Get off of me!" she screamed, kicking and spitting, punching and flailing. Ron didn't seem to be deterred by the fight she was putting up, in fact, he actually seemed to enjoy it. Hermione's foot caught him in the genitals and Ron groaned while leaning over, his hands covering himself as his eyes squeezed together tightly.

Hermione pulled her legs from either side of him and scurried backward on her hands and heels in a bad parody of a crab walk, her swollen ankle protesting to the use – screaming as loud as she could, hoping someone would hear her and come to her aid. Where the fuck was everyone?!

She jumped to her feet, her head swirling and her ankle screaming in pain and searched for her jeans frantically, she couldn't leave them behind! Her trunk was in the pocket and she'd be damned if she left here with nothing she owned. She saw them on the other side of her bed, and then remembered she didn't have her wand either – her wand was beneath Ron's leg and his wand was pointed at her, levelled at her face.

"Diffindo!" Ron yelled, and time stopped as Hermione did the worst thing she could have done. In her haze, instead of dodging the spell ripping through the air toward her, she stupidly put her hand out in front of her to stop it from hitting her in the chest. The spell sunk into her left hand and split it between her ring and middle finger, cutting it down to the middle of her palm, almost in half.

Hermione screamed as blood splattered out, her eyes wide in shock at the fact that her hand had been almost cut in two. Ron took her moment of weakness to his advantage and jumped at her again, knocking her to the floor while pain shot from her ruined hand up her arm. Now that she was naked he had no trouble getting her into an easy position and the shock she was battling with left it easier for him to pull her body closer with minimal resistance.

"Get the fuck off of me you disgusting, foul…" Hermione was squirming, her hand flopping uselessly beside her as Ron lined himself up with her, and she let out a truly horrific scream as her buried himself inside of her with one sure thrust.

He loved the way she screamed – it was a lot more passionate and breathy than any he'd heard before.

Ron held her throat tightly while he thrust into her resisting body again and again, and it hurt, hurt, _hurt!_ Hermione almost blacked out numerous times from the pressure on her already sore, abused throat, and Ron started hitting her enthusiastically, getting off on the pain and humiliation he was inflicting on her.

He came with a loud groan and Hermione truly just wanted to _fucking die_ when she felt his seed spilling into her, tears blurring her vision, blood and snot covering her face. Ron rolled off of her, groaning, and Hermione turned onto her side and vomited onto the floor, dry heaving when there was nothing left in her stomach. Her entire body was aching and she could feel the blood mixed with Ron's semen sliding down her inner thighs, causing her to dry heave even harder.

Ron laughed and Hermione looked up at him, her eyes blackened and face cut and bleeding in numerous areas – she had blood trickling from her mouth and her teeth were covered in smeared blood. Her body was marked and bruised brutally, her nipples red and sore looking, her breasts, hips and thighs bruised faintly by Ron's fingers and her chest rising and falling shallowly because of the ribs he knew he'd cracked.

He laughed again and cleaned himself up with his wand before slipping it back into the holster he had strapped around his wrist – the only piece of clothing he wore.

"Dirty fucking whore," he said seconds before spitting on her body. He grinned at her again and turned on his heel, leaving her broken and bloody on the bedroom floor.

Hermione sat up slowly, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at her ruined hand. She got to her feet gently; her leg was shaking uncontrollably due to the fact that her ankle seemed to be broken and could barely support her weight. Groaning in pain and sobbing quietly to herself before she stumbled toward her clothes and started to pull them on slowly and with one hand. She needed to get out of this _fucking hell-hole_ of a house. Out, out, _out!_ She needed to see Harry and tell him what had happened, but he'd gone on a reconnaissance mission the evening before and they were expected to be gone until the next morning. _She needed out!_ She was suffocating and couldn't breathe properly, her hand wasn't working at all but she was scared to look at it and she knew that no one in this house would help her.

Hermione finally managed to pull on her jeans but she struggled with the button for a few moments with one hand before giving it up as a bad job and putting her wand in her pocket to join her trunk. Her breathing was rough and shallow and her stomach was starting to turn again, panic overtaking her. _She needed out!_ She rushed forward and opened her window, her mind irrational and in turmoil, her thoughts making no sense whatsoever. All she could think about was how badly she wanted out of the goddamned house that had caused her nothing but grief without everyone seeing her – she just _fucking knew_ they'd all laugh and brush her comments aside, and her window seemed like the best way to avoid everything. She pushed it open with her working hand, cradling the other one to her chest as she realized disjointedly that something had happened to the books on healing spells purposely. Someone didn't want her to learn such things.

She laughed bitterly and somewhat manically before she climbed through the window clumsily, her body not working the way her brain was commanding it to. Her foot caught on the sill and she tumbled onto the wet asphalt tiles, throwing her hands out to stop herself on instinct. She screamed loudly when her body weight landed on her left hand and her vision swam again, nausea stopping her progress as she cradled her hand to her chest. The rain poured down and soaked her as she sobbed brokenly. She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself as she got to her feet and pulled her wand from her pocket. She held it tightly in her good hand – her wand hand, thankfully.

Hermione summoned all the energy she could and turned on the spot, leaving the pouring rain and _miserable fucking house_ behind with a loud CRACK!

She landed in a forest on her hands and knees and screamed again when her ruined appendage pressed down on twigs and dried up leaves, the dirt pushing into her wound and turning somewhat muddy from the rain she was being drenched with just seconds before. She dropped onto her stomach, whimpering in pain, all of her remaining energy depleted from apparating away from Grimmauld Place. Her body was hurt and bruised, her ribs ached where they were cracked and it was hard to get a deep breath, her face was sore and covered in cuts and bruises – her eyes blackened and swollen, and her hand was just _pure fucking agony_.

She laid on her stomach in the forest where she'd landed, her body splayed out almost uncomfortably and sobbed. She didn't even have the energy to open her bruised and swelling eyes and take in her surroundings – she wasn't even worried about Dumbledore tracing her apparation because she'd die before she would ever allow herself to be under the thumb, or body, of an Order member again.

She'd kill herself, if she had to.

Hermione's sobs tapered off and were replaced with heartbreaking whimpers, her body fighting a losing battle to stay conscious. She'd managed to get herself to relative safety, far away from Ronald Weasley and all the other fucking assholes she'd been forced to live with for the last two years, and her body was slowly shutting itself down – the shock from her hand was pulling her under and she let it happen blissfully.

Hermione fainted in the middle of the Forest of Dean with a broken and battered body and absolutely no protection.

"Do you hear something, Boss?" One of the thick men asked his blond leader, his head canted to the side as though he were listening hard to something in the distance.

"I thought I heard a scream," the sleek Italian added, his eyes narrowed somewhat.

"I didn't hear anything," Draco Malfoy said, watching his men closely. They were all very intuitive and Draco had taught them that they were to always, _always_ , go with their gut instincts.

"I can still hear something," the somewhat reedy Theodore Nott answered, standing from the boulder he was sitting on beside Blaise Zabini and moving toward the mouth of the cave they were sitting in. They had a fire in the mouth of the deep cave and since there wasn't even a breeze outside it kept them from getting smoked out – the lack of wind also allowed them to hear what was happening outside their cave more clearly. This made it easier for them to be sure that they weren't being confused by the rustling of leaves, tricking them into thinking someone was walking through the forest and snapping twigs with their lumbering feet.

"It sounds like… crying?" Gregory Goyle said, turning his statement into a question at the last moment because he wasn't entirely sure that was what he was hearing.

Why the hell would someone be crying in the middle of the Forest of Dean?

"Maybe we should check it," Vincent Crabbe said, causing the rest of the group to nod and agree.

Draco moved forward, his feet making no noise on the stone ground beneath him – he'd been taught to move without making a sound and he did it at all times without even realizing. His steps were light and quick, his movements lithe and sleek, almost like he was some sort of jaguar. He'd taught everything he knew to his men, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle; they were tough, his troupe unbeatable, and they'd been trained by Draco Malfoy, who had been trained by Tom Riddle himself.

"Let's go, then," Draco stated, his voice calm even though he was starting to feel the expected tension in his chest that accompanied him every time he'd been about to enter a fight of some sort, although it was coming at a very unexpected time.

Draco had only taken two steps before a Patronus appeared in front of him, causing him and his men to halt in their tracks when they recognized the silvery snake sliding through the ground toward them, hissing and spitting.

"She's in the Forest of Dean," the snake hissed in Tom Riddle's voice, and Draco's head snapped up and his eyes met each of his men's gaze in turn.

Was it true? The one person they'd been looking for, searching for periodically over the last two years had just randomly shown up in the same area they had decided to camp out for the rest of the night?

"Holy shit," Theo breathed, staring at Draco in complete surprise.

"Let's go," Vince said, "What if it was her making that noise?"

"She could be hurt, or something," Greg said, sounding thoroughly upset.

"Okay, spread out and find her, and for Merlin's sake be careful! It's dark out there and we don't need anyone getting hurt. I don't hear her cries anymore, so it's going to be a lot harder to navigate your way toward her, but we _must_ fucking find her!"

The men all nodded and everyone fanned out, moving quietly through the forest. Draco couldn't hear any footsteps in the forest at all and he smiled to himself with the knowledge that his men had been trained so thoroughly that they didn't even make a noise walking through dry leaves and twigs.

Draco had his wand stretched out in front of him, the tip glowing brightly and throwing a sufficient amount of light in front of him so he could see. He looked around while continuing to walk and could see the glowing tips of other wands in the forest, sweeping in front of the men holding them so they could check the ground in the most meticulous way, not daring to miss out on finding her.

He looked back down into his wand light and his stomach lurched when he saw something that seemed rather gruesome and took him a moment to place in his brain.

"Is that a fucking hand?!" he breathed out loud and stepped forward to throw more light on the bump on the ground.

"Christ!" he shouted, realizing that it was indeed a hand on the ground in front of him, and it was a hand that was almost cut in two.

"Over here!" he called, and shot red sparks from his wand for good measure before dropping onto his knees beside her body and taking in whatever injuries he could see. She looked rough, her hand was destroyed and he had to wonder if she'd ever have full use of it again – she was drenched and her usually bushy hair was plastered down to her scalp that was bruised and cut open in places. He could see one side of her face and all the bruises and cuts marring it. He reached to her neck and found her pulse with two fingers, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt her heartbeat fluttering faintly in her carotid artery.

"Should she be sleeping?" he heard from directly beside him, causing him to jump and curse under his breath. Maybe he'd trained his men a little too well if they could sneak up on him in such a way.

Blaise moved forward and gestured to a huge lump on her head – one that would most likely have resulted in a concussion.

"Probably not," Draco answered, and Theo appeared directly in front of him. Vince slowly knelt down by Hermione's head and he gently took hold of her shoulder and rolled her onto her back. Draco took in a sharp breath as Theo backed up a step, absolutely appalled at what he was seeing.

"Fuck! Look at her face! Her goddamned neck!" Theo shouted, breathing hard through his mouth. Hermione's neck was ringed with dark bruises and burst capillaries.

"What the fuck do you think happened?" Blaise asked, sounding angrier than Draco would have expected.

Were they all already invested in this girl? More than he had noticed? They'd been searching for her for years and no one had laid eyes on her since they'd graduated Hogwarts. They all had a level of respect for her because of the prophecy they'd heard before they started looking, but they had even more respect because of the way Tom spoke about her. He wanted her on their side badly and he made sure everyone was aware of it. She was to Tom what Harry Potter was to Dumbledore – but they'd needed to find her first. Finding her in such a state was not something any of them had been expecting, and Draco knew, _just fucking knew_ , that the Order – or someone in the Order – had been the one to hurt her so badly.

"I don't know," Draco breathed, and gestured to her hand without looking at it again.

"Merlin," Greg said, his mouth dropping open, "her fucking hand is almost cut in half!"

"We've got to heal her, Draco," Theo said, sounding somewhat frantic. "We need to heal her to the best of our abilities."

"We need to get back to the cave, first," he said. He stood up quickly and backed away before he pointed his wand at the broken girl in the dirt.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he said, using a spell he'd been taught when he was a first year – but Draco had learned to modify it and added an extra twist of his wand toward the end of the incantation, so instead of Hermione's appendages snapping to her sides and straightening out, it just froze her body in the position it was in.

"Locomoter," he said quietly, levitating Hermione's frozen body and guiding it to the cave they had been staying in. His troupe walked silently, each lost in their own thoughts, but Draco was willing to bet they were all thinking the exact same thing.

Blaise ran ahead and opened his bag, pulling out a blanket that looked much too big to fit into the small duffel bag he was carrying and spread it on the ground before the fire, transfiguring it to be thicker and softer than the original blanket.

Draco guided Hermione's body into the cave and laid her gently on the blanket, kneeling before her and staring into her face.

"I think she's only fainted," he said to Theo, who was standing beside him and looking down with furrowed brows.

"Check her memories," Theo said suddenly, eyeing her unbuttoned pants and bare feet closely.

"What?" Draco asked, looking up at him so quickly his neck cracked.

"That's an invasion, Theodore," Greg said seriously. "We should wait for her permission."

"I want to know who's responsible and where the hell she's been for the last two years."

"We can wait for her to wake up and answer those questions," Vince argued, taking Greg's side instantly.

"Don't you want to know?" Theo said, looking down at Draco seriously. "Don't you want to know if she's been exposed to the prophecy? Where she's been and how she's managed to stay off of our radar all this time? What happened here and who did it to her?"

"Of course I want to know," Draco said, suddenly unsure about what he should do. Looking at her memories while she was passed out didn't feel right to him, but he also almost desperately wanted to know what had happened with her.

"It isn't right," Blaise said, coming forward and touching Theo's hand almost imperceptibly. "Don't do it Draco. If she found out somehow she'd be so hurt and angry, that alone could force her to turn her back on us. We all know she's a goddamned bleeding heart Gryffindor."

Blaise was right about that – she'd definitely be upset if she knew he'd looked at her memories without her permission. Some even referred to it as 'raping the mind' and that thought alone made him cringe. He didn't even want to think about the fact that Tom would be beyond furious if something stupid he'd done caused Hermione to turn the man down.

"Pass me the potion bag, Theo," Draco said, his decision made.

"Draco… come on."

"Don't! _Don't_ question my decisions, Theo. I say no and that's that. Now pass me the fucking potion bag."

Theo swallowed hard and went to the duffel bag, rummaging around inside until his hand clamped around the bag. He pulled it out and stalked over to Draco, thrusting the potion carrier into his hands without looking at him and storming out of the entrance of the cave.

Blaise took a deep breath and followed behind.

Draco ignored the drama and pulled open the bag, taking out vials and small pots of paste, mumbling under his breath. He sat still for a few moments, gathering himself before pointing his wand at Hermione and siphoning the blood away from her skin. Once she was clean he was able to see the cuts and bruises clearly and it was obvious her hand was going to be the biggest problem.

"Fuck," he breathed, looking at how the tendons and bone were sliced clean through. He decided to ignore her hand for the moment and worked on closing the small cuts and reducing the swelling in her eyes – rubbing the bruise paste onto her skin gingerly. It wouldn't get rid of the bruises altogether, not immediately, anyway, but after twelve hours of reapplying it the bruises would be completely gone.

Draco inspected Hermione closely, wondering if he should check the rest of her body or if he should just leave it until she woke up – he really didn't want to cross any lines.

It was time to focus on her hand. He cleaned it quickly, ridding it of the dirt that had packed into it when she landed on the ground. Draco had been trained extensively by the best Healers available, but that didn't mean he felt overly confident about fixing it. He'd never had to heal a wound as terrible as this in his life and looking at it actually made anger bubble up in chest. How fucking dare someone try to take away the use of her hand?! If it had hit just a few inches lower, it would have severed her hand altogether.

He hovered his wand over her for a moment before deciding to just bite the bullet and dive right in. He began to mumble a long incantation under his breath, his wand caressing the skin on her hand lightly – the tendons grew together, but Draco stopped immediately when he realized they weren't joining together properly.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, leaning away from her for a moment and catching his breath. Healing was exhausting because you had to force so much energy through your wand and into the other person, and Draco didn't want to continue if he wasn't able to do it properly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he said again, annoyed with himself. He could hear Vince and Greg behind him muttering but their healing wasn't as advanced as Draco's, so they wouldn't be able to lend him a hand. Blaise and Theo were still outside, but they wouldn't have been much help either.

He went back to his vials and picked up a small one of murtlap essence before he ripped a chunk from his shirt. He sterilized the shirt before transfiguring it into a large bandage that he then proceeded to rip into smaller pieces. He soaked them in the essence and began applying them to the brutal cut on her hand, wrapping a large bandage around it when he was done and using a sticking charm to keep it place. He muttered a numbing charm that would keep the wound painless, as long as Hermione kept her hand still, something Draco was going to ensure happened.

He started when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Theo there.

"You were right, of course. I just… I can't believe that she turned up like this and I just wanted to know who did it."

"We'll know when she wakes up, Theo."

The other man nodded slowly and sat down on a boulder where he watched Hermione closely. Draco wondered if he was missing something, if there was some reason why Theo felt so strongly about Hermione Granger, but he didn't bring it up.

"Couldn't heal it?" Blaise asked.

"I tried, but I'm worried I'm just going to make it worse. I'll leave it for now. I want to check her for more injuries but… I don't want to cross any lines."

"Just ask her," Blaise said, a small smile on his lips.

"When she wakes I will."

Blaise gestured toward her and Draco turned around, meeting her eyes. He jumped slightly.

"Christ, Granger," he breathed, watching her closely.

She looked confused, watching Draco with wide eyes as she clutched her ruined hand to her chest. She broke her eyes away and looked down, surprised to see the bandage there. Her good hand jumped to her face and felt around, surprised that it wasn't riddled with cuts anymore.

"Are you injured anywhere else?" Draco asked, trying to sound nice and caring instead of openly hostile about the things done to her.

Her head nodded slowly but she didn't trust them enough to speak. Hell, she had never given one fuck toward Draco and he couldn't really blame her for that.

Then Theo came forward slowly, his hands clasped in front of his body tightly as he approached the girls side. Hermione's eyes met his and lit up slightly before they filled with tears and her bottom lip started to tremble.

"Theo," she breathed, and Draco's eyebrows jumped on his face as he turned to his other friends, shocked beyond recognition about what was taking place. Blaise looked happier than Draco could remember seeing him in a long time and his eyebrows drew together as he realized that Hermione at least knew Theo and Blaise, which was unsettling since neither boy had said anything about it to him.

They'd better explain themselves in due time.

"What happened?" the reedy man asked, anger lacing his tone as his hand jumped to his hair, where he ran his hands through it in agitation. Tears slipped down the side of Hermione's face and into her hair, her chin quivering. It was a sad sight to see.

She reached down with her hands to push herself up and whimpered in pain as her ruined hand protested, gasping as she whipped it back up to her chest and clutched it there with her other hand. She took a few deep breaths, the tears still falling down her cheeks, and reached down with her good hand to lever herself up. She gasped in pain as she finally got herself into a sitting position, her eyes widening.

"Where else are you hurt, Hermione?" Theo asked, stepping in front of her and kneeling down. "Draco can heal you, but he didn't want to do so without your permission. He went ahead and worked on your face and hand, but there isn't too much he can do for the latter at the moment." Hermione's sad eyes turned to Draco at Theo's words and he was surprised that he didn't see any fear or hate there, just contemplation.

"My ankle," she said quietly, pointing to the right one and Draco was surprised by her voice. He hadn't heard it in so long that he'd actually forgotten how feminine she sounded.

Draco moved to her ankle carefully and rolled the denim up slowly, shocked when he saw the harsh bruising and swelling – it looked like a hand print, almost, and Draco's eyes flicked up towards Theo for a split second, the man's jaws were clenched so tightly that Draco was worried he'd crack a tooth.

"What happened to your ankle, Granger?" Draco asked casually as he used his wand to reduce the swelling and tenderly rubbed bruise paste onto it.

She shook her head, watching Draco's ministrations closely.

"Where else are you hurt?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful to keep her feeling safe and protected.

"Can you - ?" she cleared her throat roughly and tried again, "Can you please just tell me the healing spell?" she asked, her cheeks reddening at the fact that she didn't know something as crucial as that.

"If you just tell me, I can do it for you, Granger. It's no big deal."

"Just… please just tell me the spell."

"Well, there are plenty of different spells, Granger, so it really just depends what you need to use it for."

Her cheeks flamed even brighter and she looked towards the other men in the room before snapping her head down and looking into her lap. Draco watched her for a moment and everything suddenly became clear.

He turned to his men, who were all standing directly beside Hermione, watching her closely with narrowed eyes and ashamed looks just for the fact that they were male. They were all incredibly smart and Draco knew everyone had realized what had happened to the girl. Anger rushed through his veins suddenly, causing him to see red. She'd clearly been attacked severely, raped and beaten and left for dead. He'd kill whoever did it without even a shred of remorse. He'd brutally murder the fucker who felt beating a female made him a man.

"Give us some privacy, please," he said, giving them no room to argue. Theo looked like he was going to but he met Blaise's eyes and turned around, leading the way out of the cave.

Hermione watched the group of men file away without a second glance, taking orders from Draco without question, and turned her embarrassed face back toward Draco's questioning eyes.

"I'd really like to heal you, Granger, but I can't until I know where you need it." Draco knew. He knew exactly what had happened now, but he also wasn't going to demand the poor girl remove her pants and knickers so he could fix her – he'd end up traumatizing her more. "I know this must be uncomfortable for you, trust me the feeling is mutual, but we need to take care of you."

Hermione cleared her throat and met his eye.

"I was raped," she stated boldly, holding his eyes purposely.

"I know," he whispered, impressed by her, his wand gripped tightly in his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the amazing reviews already, favouriting and following this story! It's wonderful to know that people are actually really interested in it and I'm so pleased that people really seem to be enjoying it!**

 **A mega huge thank you needs to go out to my Beta - Strotz! Yes, she finally made an account... four stories later :) I seriously do appreciate everything you do for me, it's amazing and you're amazing!**

 **Also thank you to KomeKozzy425 for not screaming at me last night when I was texting you about my fanfiction at 1AM... you rock, too!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Two**

"I need to speak to Harry," Hermione said slowly to the group of boys who were sitting around the fire. She'd barely said a word since she'd been awake, but Draco knew she had a lot going on in that brilliant mind of hers. "I need him to know what that asshole fucking did to me and see what he's going to do about it."

Draco's eyebrows shot up for a moment, surprised by the words Hermione chose to use as well as the small hint he'd just given all the other men.

They had just eaten a meal of scrambled eggs and toast that was pulled from Blaise's trusty duffel bag; Hermione picked at her food more than anything. Draco cringed at the words – he hated Potter more than anything else in the world but it didn't escape his notice that Hermione had left Weasley out of the equation. Fucking Weasel, douche-bag extraordinaire – was he the one that hurt her?

Draco and his men hadn't even tried to speak to her about joining them with Tom Riddle yet, she was devastated and ruined – her life had changed drastically and she needed to figure out where she stood on her own. Draco had sent Tom a missive after Hermione was healed and sleeping the night before, telling his leader that they'd found the girl but she needed a little bit of time to work things out in her mind before they brought her back.

Tom was an extremely patient man and he'd waited two years so he could definitely wait another day or two.

"Tell him where you are, Hermione, I'm sure he'll come see you," Theo said, watching her closely.

Draco had sworn he wouldn't tell the other boys what had happened after she'd told him the night before, even though he was pretty sure they had all figured it out already. She didn't reveal who had attacked her but Draco was smart enough to figure out it was one of those fucks that were part of the Order of the Phoenix. He'd figure it out eventually and the idiot would pay, pay, _pay!_

The wounds he'd had to heal on her were _absolutely fucking atrocious_ – her vagina had been torn from the force of the rape and she had dried blood and other fluids all over her thighs – it made him sick to think about. Her neck had been a mess and she'd tearfully told Draco about how her attacker had been strangling her while forcing her, making her look him in the eye as he destroyed her – he'd almost vomited when he thought about how awful and _fucking terrified_ she must have been. He'd shushed her and told her not to cry – that she was safe with him and his men.

Hermione nodded absently to Theo's request but after a few moments she'd sent her Patronus on its way – a small otter that twisted out of her wand and away through the trees, frolicking in non-existent water.

"I asked him to meet me somewhere else – I couldn't betray him and bring him straight to you guys."

"I don't think you should be going anywhere alone," Draco said, surprising himself as much as the rest of the group. They all stared at him with raised eyebrows but he decided to ignore them all. It was _none_ of their fucking business why he'd said what he had – none at all, and if they wanted to know they'd have to wait for her to tell them herself.

"I'll be back within the hour." Hermione stood up and began to walk away from them purposefully until she was a fair distance away. Her bruises and cuts were gone and her ankle was healed, but her hand was still wrapped in the bandages Draco had placed on it the night previously.

Draco stood up abruptly but before he had even taken a step Hermione had apparated away.

"I don't have a very good feeling about this," Draco said, and his men flanked him and looked at the spot she'd disappeared from. They may have been just looking at the area, but they also may have been memorizing the exact spot in case they needed to trace her. His stomach was clenching uncomfortably and it was a feeling he'd never had before in his _entire fucking life_ – he'd never felt anxious or worried, but he was drowning in those emotions the second Hermione disappeared from view.

"Me either," Theo sighed, moving back into the cave and sitting down, picking at his nails nervously.

"How do you know her so well?" Draco asked, taking a seat as well and pushing down his strange new emotions. He was determined to settle the twisting feeling in his stomach, the slight sheen of sweat covering his palms and brow and the tight feeling in his chest. They better not fucking hurt her.

"We had to work on a project in our fourth year for transfiguration – one of those projects McGonagall insisted we work with people from different houses for. Anyway, we had to work together and I realized she's actually a cool girl – she was an annoying swot, no doubt, but she was also… nice. She knew that my dad was a Death Eater and she really didn't seem to care, she treated me normally and we had some laughs even though I was a right prick to her in the beginning of it all. When the project was over we still spoke every so often and she was always in the library whenever I was there so we'd talk then…"

"You never told me." Draco stated it as a fact, not a question, and Theo could tell he was annoyed.

"If I told you about it while we were in school you would have hated me on principle, Draco, and I wanted to tell you over the last few years but… I don't know. It never really came up."

"And Blaise?" Draco asked, turning to the Italian.

"Well… she was friends with Theo, so naturally I'd see her around and be polite. We shared a few moments every year with a good joke and a laugh."

Draco was irritated, but it made sense that they'd never told him. Theo was right, he would have hated Theo for befriending the 'mudblood' behind his back, because back in school he was incredibly narrow minded and couldn't see the bigger picture. He didn't understand things like he did now, and he knew for a fact now that things were _a lot fucking_ _different_ than he'd realized when he was younger.

"You think Weasley did it?" Draco asked, unable to stay away from the subject that was making him feel slightly sick.

"What?!" Theo asked, jumping to his feet, "the Weasel?"

"Well, I don't know, she said she needed to speak to Potter. Why wouldn't she need to speak to the Weasel too?! They were all supposed to be best friends…"

"I will fucking tear him apart," Theo growled, and Vince and Greg each cracked their knuckles in unison.

Draco could share the sentiment.

/

Hermione appeared in a clearing by a small pond, a large forest behind her at the base of a large hill. The grass looked like emeralds, blinking at her in the morning sun because the dew still hadn't burned off. Hermione clutched her ruined hand to her chest almost like it was becoming a habit to ensure it was safe from bumping into things and shooting the worst fucking pain she'd ever felt up her entire arm. The destroyed hand alone was enough to make her absolutely despise Ron, the brutal rape was just an added push. She'd kill him if she ever fucking laid eyes on him again, that much she knew.

She turned around slowly but didn't see Harry anywhere, so she stood facing the pond and watched the water ripple with the slight breeze.

The loud CRACK! behind her startled her for a moment and she turned around quickly to see Harry standing a few yards away from her, watching her suspiciously. Another CRACK! sounded seconds later, and Hermione was dismayed and not surprised in the least to see Albus fucking Dumbledore appear out of nowhere.

"Fuck," Hermione said under her breath, she just knew now that this wasn't going to go in her favour at all.

"Harry," Hermione called softly, deciding to ignore Dumbledore altogether for the moment. "I really need to speak to you."

"What is it, Hermione? Why are we out in the middle of fucking nowhere when there's a war raging around us? Are you trying to get me killed?"

"No, Harry. This might come as a shock to you, but not everything revolves around you and your life. I wanted to let you know why I'm no longer going to be living at Order headquarters."

"Why, then? You really shouldn't be out in the open with all these Death Eater's on the loose so let's go back and you can tell me about it." Hermione could tell immediately that Harry didn't _really fucking care_ why she'd left; he just wanted to get her back into the house and under his thumb.

"I'm not going back there, Harry," Hermione answered quietly, surprised by the fact that Dumbledore had kept his mouth shut so far.

"You have to come back. It's too dangerous out here for us."

Hermione looked around slowly, mockingly, wondering how she had managed to put up with this shit for as long as she did.

"Are you seeing a huge swarm of Death Eaters that are invisible to my eyes, Harry? I don't see a goddamned thing and I think you're going out of your way to try to get me back into that god forsaken house and it isn't happening, Harry! I'm _never_ fucking going there again!"

"May I ask why not, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked, stepping forward and holding his hands casually in front of him, clasped tightly together. Hermione knew it was just a farce, she knew that his wand was in a holster around his wrist and that having his hands in such a way gave him easy access. She was instantly annoyed that he was standing in such a way – it made her feel like he was threatening her and she suddenly felt like _saintly fucking Dumbledore_ wasn't above attacking her if he found it necessary.

"Look Harry," she started, completely ignoring Dumbledore, "I don't know what you've been told, but I need you to know that Ron attacked me last night – brutally – and that's why I fled the house and why I won't be coming back."

"Attacked you?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised slightly. "Attacked you how, Hermione?"

"He came into my room drunk, Harry, drunk and naked and it was the worst thing that's ever happened in my entire life," Hermione almost let out a broken sob, but she held herself together. "He beat me, almost destroyed my hand and raped me, Harry."

Harry stared at her, his emerald eyes watching her closely without even blinking but Hermione wasn't sure if he'd heard her or not. He seemed to be thinking about something but it didn't escape her notice that he wasn't nearly as appalled as he should have fucking been upon receiving the information.

"Where?" he asked, and Hermione was suddenly confused.

"Where what?"

"Where did he supposedly attack you?"

"Supposedly?! Harry! I wouldn't lie to you about something like this! Look at my fucking hand for God's sake!"

"All I see are bandages, Hermione, which could be covering absolutely nothing, and a cut-free, bruise-free face and arms. Where in the house did Ron attack you?"

"In my bedroom," she snarled, defensive and confused.

"I went to your room when I got back to the house this morning and the only thing out of the ordinary is that you weren't there, your things were gone and your window was opened! For all I know you fell off the roof with your stupid escape attempt and hurt your hand that way!"

"That's not true," Hermione said, her heart sinking in her chest. He really wasn't going to believe her, the fucking asshole. "Ron attacked me!"

"If I may, Miss. Granger? If Ron attacked you and beat you, as you claim, then where are your bruises? Why is the only thing wrong with you your hand? I know you don't know any healing spells, so there's no way you could have been able to get rid of the evidence yourself…"

Hermione didn't know what to say. She definitely didn't want to tell them that she'd already been found by some Death Eaters and they were the ones who fixed her up, kept her alive – that wouldn't do her any favours at all, but she suddenly realized why she was unable to find any healing books while at headquarters – Dumbledore had taken them all away. He knew she didn't know any healing spells and that was very telling indeed.

Dumbledore chuckled slightly at her hesitation, the sound grating on Hermione's nerves worse than anything else could have at that moment. He was _laughing_ at her, the fucking bastard.

"Miss. Granger, I'm sorry to say that I'm really having a hard time believing that Ronald would do such a thing. I myself saw him yesterday evening while I was at the house momentarily with young Miss. Brown and they seemed to be enjoying each other's company."

"I don't _care_ what you saw! It happened and I refuse to come back to that dreadful fucking house and pretend like everything is just peachy fucking keen, when in reality I was raped and beaten there!"

Dumbledore shook his head and looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow before saying, "I'm sorry, but I just don't believe it. Ron has done everything in his power to help the Order and he's a very respectable young man."

Hermione felt like slapping the old man before her. As if she would ever lie about something of such high magnitude – she wasn't one of those girls and she didn't appreciate the implication that she was even somewhat comparable to them. "So because he helps the goddamned Order and goes out on murderous rampages to kill innocent people, the things he's done are just ignored? Because I don't go out on missions, what happened to me is to be brushed to the side?"

"It just doesn't seem feasible," Dumbledore said, watching Hermione's reaction closely. Her face was turning red and tears were beginning to make her eyes shimmer.

"That doesn't answer the question," she said, dead calm. "I don't help the Order because I've been cooped up in the _godforsaken hell hole_ for the last two years, being kept away from everything. I will not be ignored and I will not have what happened to me be ignored because for some reason you feel that Ron helping the Order means he's incapable of being a right bastard."

"Miss. Granger, I would really appreciate it if you didn't speak with such ill will toward one of our best young members, and if his family were to hear about you flinging accusations unjustly I don't think they'd be very appreciative."

"Flinging accusations unjustly?!" she almost screamed, her temper getting out of control.

"Like I said, I just can't see Ronald, who has his pick of any unattached female here, doing something of such magnitude."

"I don't believe it either," Harry said suddenly, his green eyes narrowed. He glanced at her hand and rolled his eyes slightly before looking at her again. "I think that you're jealous, Hermione. I think you're upset that Ron gets so much glory for the things he does for us and I think you're tired of being cooped up inside. Instead of being honest and telling me why you actually left, you're trying to take Ron down with you. Or maybe, _just maybe_ , you're trying to tear us apart."

Hermione spluttered, confused again, "Why would I be trying to tear you apart?!"

"You've made it extremely clear over the last six months that you don't believe in our cause anymore, so maybe you're just trying to tear everyone apart and cause fights between everyone so everything will go wrong for us."

"That's ridiculous," Hermione said, "that's _utterly fucking ridiculous_. Do you even hear yourself when you talk, Harry?! If you want to back a rapist then that's your choice, but I'm not having any part of it."

Harry gave Hermione a look of deepest loathing, a look she'd received from him way too many times to count within the last year. "I don't know what you're hoping to achieve with this, Hermione, but if I ever hear you spreading these rumours about Ron to anyone else you'll be beyond sorry," Harry said, his own anger coming out. "I don't even want you to come back to the house, at this point, and you can take your lies and your fucking accusations and fuck right off. In fact," Harry said, his anger reaching the boiling point while the vein on his head throbbed again. "I fucking hope the Death Eaters find you and do everything you're trying to say that Ron has done! Do it all before they _tear your fucking skin from your bones_ , you piece of shit!"

Hermione knew it was just another attempt in getting her to go back to the house, to scare her into submission like he'd done previously, but she wasn't having it this time.

"I know, Harry," Hermione said, her lip raising in a sneer, " _I know_ that the Death Eaters and Voldemort want me to aid them. _I know_ that there's some sort of prophecy that claims I'll help him in some way, and _I fucking know_ that if they were to find me right now I'd be way better off than I ever was with you, so you know what?! _Fuck you!_ "

"She's been speaking with them," Dumbledore claimed suddenly, pulling his wand from the holster on his wrist in one fluid motion. Harry followed suit, his wand in his hand instantly, but Hermione turned on the spot faster than they could throw a curse at her, something she was sure they were about to do judging by the complete anger portrayed on each of their faces.

Hermione appeared in the mouth of the cave suddenly, startling the men who were waiting inside for her.

"We have to go!" She yelled, "They're going to track me!"

"Who?!"

"Ask questions later! Someone side-along me!"

Draco was at her side immediately with his arm linked through hers, his elbow and part of his bicep pressed against her breast.

"Accio duffel bag!" she heard Blaise shout from the cave, followed by no sound at all.

"Turn!" Draco yelled, forcing her around. They started to turn just as she saw a figure shimmering into existence accompanied by the tell-tale CRACK! and she saw Harry materialize and aim his wand at her – a spell shooting out of it before she could complete the turn and be sucked away into the compression of apparation.

Draco's feet slammed onto the floor of his manor and he tried to keep Hermione upright, but she was screaming a strange high pitched keening sound and Draco had no fucking idea why she was making the noise. She let go of his arm and fell onto the floor, gasping for air, cringing and writhing, screaming like a banshee. He stumbled forward and leaned over her, not understanding what had happened.

The room was filling with Death Eaters quickly upon hearing the piercing noise and Draco's men all appeared beside him silently, Blaise rushing to Hermione's side as Theo screamed, "That fucking asshole hit her with something!"

"Who is that?" Draco's aunt Bellatrix hissed, her hands jumping up and covering her ears as her eyes closed slightly because of the noise ripping from Hermione's throat.

"What the fuck did he hit her with?!" Draco yelled, trying to make Hermione open her eyes and see that she was safe, but he had no idea what had happened.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," Theo was mumbling, shaking Hermione bodily to try and snap her out of it.

"Finite Incantatem!" Draco shouted, aiming his wand at the girl on the floor who was making the strange high-pitched keening sound. It seemed to make everything worse and Hermione's nose started bleeding profusely, her body jerking around uncontrollably.

"What is that sound?" Tom Riddle asked, entering the room and pulling up short at the sight in front of him. He banished his followers, except for the five in the center of the room, with a sweep of his hand – everyone took the hint and left immediately. Hermione didn't stop her sounds once, the pain must have been unbearable – Draco watched as she started pounding the floor with her fists, her ruined hand bleeding heavily again, her body jerking and convulsing uncontrollably in a way that Draco had only ever seen when people were placed under the Cruciatus Curse. "Lucius, Narcissa, please stay," Tom added, almost yelling over the noise Hermione was making.

Draco's parents stopped in their tracks and turned back to the youngsters in the room, watching warily.

"What happened, Draco?!" Tom asked as Narcissa covered her ears in the same fashion her sister had done just moments before. Theo was on the floor still, trying to stop Hermione from doing more damage to herself as she screamed and screamed _and screamed_!

"I don't know, Sir!" Draco answered immediately. "Potter appeared as we were leaving and I guess he hit her with something!"

"What was it?!" Tom asked dangerously, his wand held tightly in his hand.

"I didn't even hear anything. Theo, what was the spell?"

"I don't know, but I think she's going to die if we don't stop this soon!"

"Think, Theodore!" Tom thundered, "What was the spell?"

Theo slammed his eyes shut immediately, concentrating as hard as he could as Tom turned to Lucius and said, "Lucius, get the best healers available today and bring them here immediately."

Lucius gave a single nod before approaching the fireplace and flooing to St. Mungo's – the Death Eaters had taken it over just a few days previously and he knew that since Tom was treating the healers exceptionally well, none of them would even hesitate to come and help.

He had given everyone on staff a decent raise and also made their environment better; they received extremely discounted lunches, were able to supply more space for each patient, got better vacation packages and Tom had his own adept Death Eaters brewing basic potions to take the load off of the Healers backs. They all loved him and once the previous head of St. Mungo's had stepped down, with a bit of encouragement, Tom had absolutely no problem stepping in his place.

"Intolerabili Dolorius!" Theo yelled suddenly, his eyes snapping open as he jumped to his feet. "That's what Potter said when he cursed her!"

Tom reacted immediately, shock coursing through his handsome features as he gripped his wand tighter and moved toward Hermione fluidly, light on his feet. He raised his wand and began muttering a long phrased counter-curse beneath his breath, causing Hermione's screams to turn to small whimpers while her blood flow slowed.

"What was it?!" Draco asked quietly as his friends all stood back and let Tom do his work. Draco met his mother's eyes and saw that she had her hands clapped over her mouth, fear in her eyes. She lowered her hands slowly and Draco saw that they were trembling slightly.

"It's a pain curse – very much like the Cruciatus, except the caster doesn't have to be present for the curse to carry on. Its ancient magic and I have no idea how that boy learned about it, but it was foolish of him to use it. He could have killed her if someone didn't know the counter."

"He meant to kill her," Greg said suddenly. "I saw his face, Lady Malfoy, and it wasn't an accident."

"I can't wait for that fucker to die," Theo hissed, and Narcissa looked at him pointedly for cursing, but the man didn't apologize.

"Can you look at her hand?" Draco asked, moving forward and gesturing toward it. Theo sighed in relief when Draco brought its attention to Tom – he would have done it but didn't have quite the same relationship with their leader as Draco did.

"What's wrong with her hand?" He asked, canting his head and looking down at the bloody bandages.

"When I found her," Draco swallowed hard and stepped closer to Hermione's supine position on the floor instead of continuing his story. He sat on his knees and lifted her hand into his lap gingerly so he could unwind the bandages he'd placed on it the night before. Once the wound was revealed Tom groaned and Narcissa gasped as the fireplace on the opposite side of the room roared and glowed green, emitting Lucius and two Healers.

"It's cut in half!" Tom exclaimed.

"She still hasn't said exactly what had happened, but we all have our suspicions," Theo said bitterly, turning his back on the broken girl on the floor and striding from the room.

"Excuse me," Blaise said politely, turning away and following Theo.

"Is there anything you can do about this?" Tom asked the closest Healer, and the man's eyes widened in shock as he got close enough to see her mutilated hand.

He dropped to his knees immediately and began siphoning the blood away from it so he could see the wound clearly. Once that was finished he cast a spell to keep her sedated while he did what he could.

"Who attempted to heal this?" he asked, not looking up from the destroyed hand below him.

"I did," Draco said, nervous.

"Ahh, Draco. Come closer so I can show you what you did wrong. You should learn to do this properly."

"Did I make it worse?" he asked, hoping his fears wouldn't be confirmed.

"No, it's better that they healed this way instead of totally off kilter – they're just not lined up perfectly, but I'll show you how to do it if you just kneel down over here."

Draco watched and learned as Tom, Narcissa and Lucius paced around the room. The second Healer had checked Hermione's vitals and determined that she'd be fine after some rest and left the Manor to go back to St. Mungo's. Blaise and Theo still hadn't returned and Greg and Vince had excused themselves without explaining where they were going.

Hermione's hand, which was now encased in some crazy sort of contraption to keep her fingers from moving around while the bone healed felt heavy in Draco's lap and he set it on the floor again. Unfortunately, they were unable to heal the bones with magic and the Healer wouldn't be able to return with skele-grow until the next morning at the earliest. He looked around and saw his parents standing in the corner with Tom, whispering under their breath with each other and looking tense and worried.

"I'll take her up to her room," Narcissa offered when she realized that Draco and the Healer had finished with her.

"She really does need some rest. I can tell she's lacking, she's too skinny and the trauma she endured yesterday did nothing for her. Draco was able to heal her other wounds last night, but of course that doesn't do anything for the wounds on her mind."

"What trauma?" Tom asked, stepping forward. "Draco never explained in the missive he sent me late last night."

"Her rape, Mr. Riddle."

"Oh," Narcissa breathed quietly, but she wasn't looking at Hermione, she was watching her son's face. It didn't escape her attention that Draco was genuinely upset about what had happened – she smiled inwardly.

"Who did it?" Tom spat angrily, looking at Draco now as well.

"She wouldn't tell me, Sir, but I do have my suspicions. I think it was Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend and a Senior member of the Order of the Phoenix."

"You healed her?" he asked, and Draco was suddenly nervous about the way Tom was watching him.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good," Tom breathed. "That's good."

Narcissa raised her wand and levitated Hermione gently, leaving the room in somewhat of a hurry.

Tom turned to Lucius suddenly, a smile on his face and he almost looked smug about something. Draco felt a chill go down his spine when he saw that look – he was unexpectedly nervous when he saw the brisk change on his leaders face. Draco turned to his father to see that he also looked delighted about something and Draco's agitation grew.

"I'll see to it that she gets plenty of rest and meals, Healer Forsythe," Tom said as he led the Healer to the fireplace. "I appreciate you coming here and giving us a hand."

"No problem, Tom," the man said before stepping into the fire and disappearing.

Tom turned to Draco and motioned for him to follow him, something Draco did without question, Lucius bringing up the rear. They headed into the hallway and up the stairs, going to the study.

"Take a seat, Draco," Tom said, sitting behind his father's desk while Lucius sat beside him in an armchair. "Would anyone like a drink?"

"Please," Lucius said pleasantly, draping his robes around his legs as he got comfortable. Tom aimed his wand toward the liquor cabinet and three tumblers filled halfway with an amber liquid floated out and stopped in front of each man. Draco reached out and plucked the glass from the air despite the fact he hadn't asked for one and held onto it in a slightly sweaty hand.

"There are some things we need to speak about, Draco," Tom started slowly, his handsome face serious, making Draco even more nervous than he already was.

"Okay," Draco said, taking a sip from his drink just for something to do but his stomach felt _so fucking queasy_ that he wasn't sure he could even drink all of the liquor in the glass.

"I want you teaching her, once she's fit, Draco. She'll be joining your squad and I want her to learn everything important that you've been taught. She needs to learn healing, parseltongue, non-verbal and wandless magic, how to move quick on her feet as well as apparate silently and I want her to pick a specialized skill. I also want her to join you and your friends in the gym every day you're usually there – she will be one of your men, so to speak."

"Sure," Draco said, wondering where else this conversation was going to go. Tom could have told Draco all of that downstairs; no one would be bitter. Actually, Draco's men would probably feel pretty goddamned lucky to have Hermione fighting on their squad, considering what the prophecy about her stated, and he truly didn't think they'd be hesitant about it all.

"That isn't everything though, Draco," Tom said, and Draco took another sip from his tumbler. "I really don't want you to shy away from the girl, because I'm going to ask you to do something and I would really prefer if it wasn't forced or awkward."

Draco looked at Tom in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, turning away to look at his father, who seemed to be very interested in the drink in his hand.

A knock on the door interrupted the flow of conversation and Tom groaned before setting his tumbler on the desk and saying, "Enter."

Narcissa popped her head into the room, "I'm really sorry for interrupting, Tom, but Hermione woke up already and said she'd really love to speak to you."

"She needs to rest, Narcissa, not worry about everything happening right now. Take her a cup of tea spiked with sleeping potion and tell her I'll be there to visit her shortly – make sure she drinks it, though. I'll talk to her about everything once she's feeling better."

"My men are probably waiting for me in the gym…" Draco said, wanting to leave the uncomfortable situation in his father's study. He didn't know why he was here and what Tom wanted from him, but since the mood had been interrupted by his mother he felt like it was the best time to try and get out of there.

Tom sighed and met Lucius' eyes as the blond man nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I'll speak to you at dinner, then," Tom said, and Draco placed his tumbler on the small table beside his chair before fleeing the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- I'm a little bit disappointed with the feedback on the last chapter, so hopefully this one will get a better reaction out of you guys. As always, a huge huge thank you to Strotz as well as KomeKozzy425 - this story would still be sitting on Word, wasting away if it were for your faith in me and your help with ideas/betaing!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Three**

Draco sat at the dinner table where his friends were waiting – after they'd finished in the gym he'd gone to his room for a shower and to change. They'd spoken about nothing serious while they trained because they were all already focused enough by the hate flowing through their systems. The only people who were invited to dine at Malfoy Manor were his family, close friends, Tom, and now probably Hermione, once she was feeling better. The rest of the Death Eaters went back to their own homes for meals and only really came to the Manor if they had reason to be there – like if there was a new initiation or raids and missions going on. Draco piled food on his plate and the table lapsed into silence while everyone settled in and ate their dinner.

Draco was still angry about the things that had happened to Hermione, but that was mainly because he didn't agree with women being harmed in such a way. He had never had to deal with a victim of such abuse by himself before and it pissed him off beyond all reasonable measure. Theo and Blaise were each taking it on a more personal level and were _fucking beasts_ in the gym that evening – Vince and Greg seemed to be almost contrite by the experience they'd went through the evening before. They were large, brutish men, but they were also sensitive about certain things and very soft-spoken.

Rape was one of the sensitivities.

There were of course Death Eaters who felt that rape was acceptable, the lowly ones who were old and disgusting and could never get a decent witch who was willing to have one off with them and the odd man who was just _into_ that kind of shit, but Draco and his men weren't okay with it. Despite popular belief, the Death Eaters weren't an out of control radical group who wanted to kill off all Muggleborns and torture, rape and pillage. There were people who needed to be tortured and killed, of course, people who needed to be _fucking destroyed_ , but it wasn't everyone in the world. Most of the rumours were the making of Albus Dumbledore and his pathetic fucking sidekick, Harry Potter, as was the name 'Voldemort' and the appearance of Tom.

The truth was that Tom wanted power; he wanted to be the ruler of the wizarding world and implement his own rules. He had shown prejudice towards Muggleborns when he was younger, before he realized their true potential, but he certainly didn't want to see them all dead. He wasn't an idiot and knew that eradicating any new blood into the world would only be detrimental in the long run. His main concern was he didn't want muggle traditions infiltrating the wizarding world. He felt that they should have different rules to follow, have to prove their abilities and need to fit themselves into the magical world seamlessly. If they couldn't do that, they wouldn't be invited to stay – in fact, they'd be obliviated of any knowledge of the Wizarding World and sent to live back in the muggle world where they clearly belonged. Obliviated, but not murdered.

Tom had already taken over St. Mungo's and that was only the tip of the iceberg; there were plans being made to take the Ministry as well, but Death Eaters needed to be in the proper positions before those plans could come to fruition.

"Did you tell your men about the new circumstances?" Tom asked Draco after a few minutes of silence.

"Hermione's going to be joining our squad and Tom would like her to be trained as thoroughly as we've been," Draco said, staring at his plate.

"So she's staying?" Theo asked, looking happier than he'd been since they'd found her broken and used body on the ground of a fucking forest.

"She hasn't specifically said she'll be staying, since I haven't spoken to her about everything yet, but I'm thinking that since she was brutally attacked by one Order member and then cursed by another… I can't imagine she'll go running back to them happily."

"They were supposedly her best friends, too," Blaise pointed out. "Imagine that betrayal."

"We don't know what exactly has been happening with her for the past year. For all we know she has fallen out with all of them. I'll know more tomorrow, though," Tom said.

"She's very sad," Narcissa said after swallowing a small bite of food. "She woke up for a while before I gave her the sleeping potion and she's… broken."

"Her best friend raped her, mother, of course she's upset," Draco said without thinking.

"We don't know that for sure!" Theo said, jumping in.

"She was definitely raped, Theodore, the Healer confirmed it earlier, even though Draco had already healed her wounds last night. Apparently the trauma from such incidents is still obvious on recently healed wounds to people who have been trained to see them…"

Theo set his fork down and turned to his squad leader with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes.

"You knew she was raped for sure and didn't bother saying anything?"

"I had to heal her, Theo, of course I knew. She made me swear I wouldn't tell you guys, though."

"That's bullshit! I've been friends with her for years and I deserved to know!"

"It wasn't my place," Draco snarled, dropping his fork as well.

"You should have told me!"

"Theo! It wasn't my place! What did you think we were doing when you all left us alone last night? Playing _Exploding-fucking-Snap_?! I was dealing with the extensive wounds she had attained while being attacked."

"Enough!" Tom yelled, his dark eyes glinting – Theo snapped his mouth shut immediately, the retort he had ready dying on his lips.

"Draco is the leader of your troupe and if he feels he needs to keep something from you, for whatever reason, then that's his business and his right. He was keeping the word he had given in order for your friend to allow him to heal her wounds, and if that doesn't make you happy, Theodore, then I don't know what will. You should be glad that Draco did what he had to do in order to obtain her trust."

Theo huffed out a breath as the words sunk in.

"You're right. You're all right, okay, I'm just upset. Seeing her like that last night…"

"None of us liked it, Theo."

"I know."

"It was awful for everyone, but she's healing and she's safe now, and that's what's important," Draco said diplomatically, picking up his fork again.

His mother smiled at his father and then turned to Tom, her eyes sparkling.

"What?" Draco asked, watching the exchange.

Narcissa looked up and saw that her son and his friends were all staring at the adults at the table.

"I wanted to talk to you earlier, Draco, and I want to finish the discussion we started," Tom said, and Draco felt his stomach clench as he laid his fork down on the table slowly.

"Now, we've already decided that Hermione will join you five with your daily training. I want you to really make her feel included."

"She's been a friend of mine and Theo's for years," Blaise said, staring at Tom. "So that won't be a problem for us."

"She was never mean to us in school," Greg said, gesturing between himself and Vince. "Not like her friends were, anyway." Vince shrugged and continued to eat.

"We've had our times and fights," Draco started uncertainly. "We made each other miserable sometimes in school, but I feel like something shifted a little bit last night."

"Shifted how?" Tom asked, his handsome face smiling as he continued to eat slowly.

"I don't know, I mean she trusted me to help her, we didn't share anything hateful and she told me what happened, for the most part. She didn't have to do that. She left today to speak to Potter – something we couldn't dissuade her from doing, by the way – and when she was in trouble she came right back to us. I think she trusts us more than everyone else in her life currently, and it's a nice feeling. It's nice to be there for someone when their life just went down the tubes so thoroughly…" Draco stopped talking when he felt everyone's eyes on him.

"Great," Tom said, all business now. "I want you to marry her before the winter solstice, Draco."

Draco grinned, picking up his fork again before the words had fully sunk in.

"What?!" he asked, looking up in shock and surprise. Of all the insane fucking things he'd been expecting to hear, it wasn't that. He looked around at his friends and saw they were all staring at Tom with shock, their food completely forgotten with this turn of events.

"You want me to… marry her?!"

"It has been the plan between me and your parents for the last few years – after we got our hands on her, that is."

"Why?" Draco asked, completely dumbfounded. He looked toward his parents who were sitting calmly and eating their dinner, like Draco's life hadn't just been changed drastically. His father even lifted his fork to his mouth and chewed his food slowly, watching his son the entire time.

"She's powerful, you're powerful. Good things can come from that, plus you've already managed to get her to trust you a little bit and will be spending a ridiculous amount of time with her in the future. And of course, if she were to bind herself to a Death Eater there really would be no turning back for her – not that I'm overly concerned about that being a problem."

"She's a muggleborn," Draco said weakly, watching his father's reaction. He was shocked to discover he wasn't going to get one with that argument.

"She's power," Tom spat, suddenly getting annoyed. "If you can't see that then I'll give the privilege to someone else. That's what this is, Draco! This is a privilege, and if you can't see it as such then you're a fool! You know as well as I do what the prophecy about her said, and if you don't want to willingly bind yourself to that power then you're a complete idiot."

"I understand," Draco said, trying to keep his cool even though his hands were suddenly extremely sweaty and he felt a little hot. He reached up and loosened his collar a little bit, "I understand your reasoning it was just unexpected and caught me off guard. I'll do it, of course, but I don't think she's going to be happy about this."

"Don't tell her right away," Tom said, shrugging a shoulder casually. "Let her warm up to you before you break the news."

Theo groaned quietly, almost like he was trying to keep it in and couldn't contain it.

"Don't pretend you wish you were in my position Theo, you fucking tosser," Draco said, causing the man's cheeks to heat up and his mother to choke on her wine.

"Draco!" his father admonished immediately.

"I'm not," Theo replied, shuddering slightly and ignoring the adults completely. "I'm just thinking about how annoying you guys are going to be once you come to terms with the attraction you've harboured since we were thirteen."

"What are you even talking about?"

"Oh, come on. Everyone who wanted to pay attention to it saw it. You two fought about anything and everything and you barely even saw each other!"

"Remember when she slapped you across the face?" Vince asked, laughing at the memory.

"Clearly," Draco said dryly, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Brilliant," Greg said, doing an impression of the look on Draco's face when Hermione had hit him.

/

Draco fled dinner as soon as it was polite so he could sit in his room and go over everything he'd just been told. He propped his feet on an ottoman while the fire roared in front of him. He was confused and, to be honest, a _little fucking scared_. He didn't love the fact that he was being ordering to marry anyone and he was more than a little bit surprised that his parents didn't seem to be objecting the matter at hand. He was twenty years old and didn't think he was really ready for such a thing, but by Pureblood perspective he was actually marrying late. He was sure Hermione would freak out whenever he decided to tell her and it wasn't like he could drag it out for months on end. If Tom expected them to be married by the winter solstice then he had less than six months to propose and get this goddamned wedding planned.

Draco heaved a sigh and called for his house elf to bring him a tumbler of Ogden's finest. He needed something to calm his nerves.

Draco wasn't naïve and he wasn't an idiot – if he was expected to marry for power he would of course do it; he just wasn't expecting the power to come from joining Hermione Granger in matrimony. He was always interested in the girl, always confused about her. She was a walking, talking oxymoron of everything his parents had taught him when he was younger, she was a Muggleborn but she was also incredibly smart and ridiculously powerful, things she _shouldn't_ have been. His attraction to her after puberty was easily explained away by hormones, he was a boy, after all, and he thought he'd done a damn good job of hiding it. _Apparently fucking not_. He'd taken to bedding other witches on a regular enough basis and it had never been a problem – once they'd left school he didn't think he'd ever see her again except maybe on the battlefield, where he would have avoided her at all costs. He was banking on never fucking seeing her again.

Then he got home the evening of his graduation and learned everything that had been kept from him while he was still a student – learned how fucking detrimental she was to their plans. Draco and his men trained constantly and searched for Hermione simultaneously for two years and now that they'd found her he was being told, by _Tom fucking Riddle_ , no less, that he'd be married to witch within six months.

The knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts and his father entered the room without waiting for permission, he held himself regally as he approached the small sitting area around the fire, and when he sat down in an armchair across from Draco he leaned back and crossed an ankle over the opposite knee.

"I know this has come as a shock," his father started. "We've been speaking about this for years, and we didn't inform you because it didn't seem as though we'd ever find the witch."

"Why her?" Draco asked, looking away from his father and watching the flames dance in the fireplace. Now that they weren't around Tom, Draco could ask his father the questions he really wanted answered while also being a little bit pouty about it. He'd never be able to question his Leader about his choices, but he could definitely ask his father.

"She's powerful, Draco, and that's the main thing. You know of the prophecy and know that she's going to help us win this war, we all know it and there's no sense in her being promised to anyone else. You're strong. You're twenty years old and lead your own squad, which has yet to fail, and you do so while maintaining a close friendship with every boy on your team. You're advanced at not only magic, but wandless, non-verbal magic, can speak parseltongue and can heal. You're strong, Draco. The two of you together? That will be something else entirely."

"She can be on my squad without me having to marry her."

"She can, yes, but neither of you will benefit from the shared power that comes with a traditional bonding ceremony. The power you both possess would double, Draco, and if we can just be honest here, I know you wouldn't be upset to share your life with someone who will give you a challenge."

"How could you possibly know she'd give me a challenge?"

"She did all throughout school, so I can't imagine it would be any different now. This is a privilege for you and I wish you'd see it as such – Tom came to us with the idea when you were only fifteen and we jumped at the opportunity."

"So that's why you stopped with the 'mudblood' bullshit all of a sudden – you didn't want to confuse me any more than was necessary."

"Yes," Lucius said seriously. "That's exactly why."

Draco sighed and finally met his father's eyes, "And if she's not on board?"

"Convince her," Lucius said with a shrug. "But considering the way she looked when she came to us, I don't think it would be too hard to get her on our side. Oh, and by the way, don't speak to anyone about this. No one needs to know until they get the invitation to your wedding."

Draco nodded and looked back at the fire, "What about Pansy?" he asked after a few minutes. "I can hardly go along sleeping with her when I know I'm about to become betrothed to someone else."

"Break it off. Immediately."

"She's not going to take it well. You know that both she and her parents have had their eye on her becoming the next Lady Malfoy for years, they might see it as a slap in the face."

"It doesn't matter in the long run. End it with her and begin courting Hermione as soon as she's well."

"I don't think she's going to respond to that very well, especially after what she's just been through."

"Well, figure it out," Lucius said, standing and preparing to leave the room. "And make sure you give it real effort, Draco."

Draco nodded and stood from his chair, advancing on his bed slowly while stripping off his clothes and leaving a trail behind him. He dropped into it, tired – so fucking tired – but lay awake for hours, thinking about the direction his life was about to take and thinking about the girl down the hall, sedated so that she could sleep restfully for probably the first time in a long while.

Hermione's head felt heavy, like it was full of rocks, and her mouth tasted like chicken feathers as she slowly blinked herself awake. She looked around and took in the large bedroom she was laying in, her muscles straining and her arms aching. The bed was huge and insanely soft as she stretched. She recalled being incredibly sore when she woke up before and Narcissa Malfoy told her all about how Harry had used an ancient curse on her and if Tom – _Tom?_ – hadn't been there she very well could have died.

Hermione sat up slowly and looked to her left to see Mrs. Malfoy sitting in an armchair reading a book.

"Christ!" she exclaimed, jumping slightly and slapping her good hand into her chest. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," Mrs. Malfoy said, giving her a timid smile while ignoring the curses that tripped so easily from the girls tongue. "How are you feeling?" she asked, setting her book on the side table and rising gracefully to her feet.

"Sore, but better than I was," Hermione answered, shuffling to the edge of the bed and letting her feet hang off. She fixed her eyes on Mrs. Malfoy – narrowing them as she remembered more. "You drugged me."

"I slipped you a mild sleeping potion, yes," she answered, surprising Hermione with her honesty. "You were much too tired to try and figure everything out and Tom thought it would be better if you were well rested before you met with him. We didn't want it to seem as though we were taking advantage of your mental state to sway you into the things you'll be talking with Tom about."

"Tom?" Hermione asked, somewhat confused.

"Tom Riddle," Mrs. Malfoy answered, a small smile on her face.

"Oh…" Hermione didn't understand why the fuck they were referring to him in such a way when everyone knew him as Voldemort, but maybe it was a respect thing.

"If you wanted to freshen up I could let him know you're awake and would like to meet with him? I mean, if you're still planning on speaking with him instead of high tailing it out of here, that is."

"I'd definitely like to meet him, Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you."

"Narcissa, please."

"Okay, well, thank you, uh… Narcissa."

"You'll find the bathroom to be completely stocked with anything you'll need. I'll go speak to Tom and then come back to show you the way to the study, he's going to be surprised that you're already feeling well enough to talk to him, but we all know, of course, how strong you are, so maybe he won't be. Miss. Granger dear?"

Hermione was looking at Narcissa like she'd lost her fucking mind. She'd never expected to hear someone as regal and put together as Narcissa Malfoy babble – never mind be in the same room as her telling her strong she was.

"Hermione, please," Hermione answered, echoing Narcissa's sentiments with a tiny smile.

"Hermione… I'm very glad that you're okay, and if you need another female to speak with please feel free to talk to me about anything you need."

"Thank you," Hermione said softly, feeling her lower lip tremble, which was ridiculous. She'd been through so much, so fucking much, in the last two days that she really should have been able to keep it together when someone offered her something as simple as an ear to listen.

The two witches shared a small smile, Narcissa's understanding where Hermione's was slightly watery before they turned away from each other and headed in their own directions.

/

Hermione was waiting in an office, Lucius Malfoy's study, judging by the pictures of his family scattered around the room, waiting for Tom to come speak with her. She was nervous, her stomach clenching, hands shaking and her head spinning somewhat – this had to turn out well, fucking had to, or she'd be dead. She knew that he had saved her, his Death Eaters had saved her, and they'd let her sleep in their house for the night, but that didn't mean Voldemort just wanted her well so he could kill her himself. In her nervousness she'd completely forgotten about the prophecy for a moment and let her fears take over.

She wiped her hands on her jeans for the fourth time and then the door opened. Hermione couldn't help but to gasp aloud in surprise. She definitely wasn't expecting Tom Riddle to be so… well… _fucking hot_ was the only way to describe the man who had entered the room – he was older, but he was still shockingly good looking. Nothing like she'd been told – ever – and she couldn't help but to stare at him for a few moments longer than was probably polite. He had long legs and Hermione figured he topped out at six feet, he wasn't wearing wizarding robes – which in itself was interesting enough – and he looked fit. _Tom_ had a head of dark hair that was greying slightly at the temples, dark eyes rimmed with black lashes – almost like he was wearing some dark eyeliner – and a smile that she could see breaking a few hearts. The rumours about Bellatrix Lestrange being absolutely besotted with the man suddenly seemed extremely fucking believable.

"Ahh, listening to Dumbledore's lies, I see. This is truly how I look, Miss. Granger, I assure you."

"But even Harry said…"

"Harry Potter's mind is constantly being manipulated by Dumbledore, although the potion on the dagger he was cut open with when he was fourteen probably didn't help," the man in front of her said with a slightly chilling smile. "I didn't need him running around speaking about how I actually look. This way I'm free to wander most of the wizarding world – I really only have to watch out for Dumbledore and a few of my old professor's, but since they're mostly dead or have moved away from England, it isn't a big deal."

"That's actually quite smart," Hermione answered grudgingly, surprised by the way Tom was being so outright with her. She looked up to see that he was staring at her hand, but when he realized he was caught looking he swept his slightly graying hair away from his eyes and took a seat behind Lucius' desk. "I take it you aren't out on raids with your Death Eaters, then?"

"We wear masks, Miss. Granger, no one's the wiser."

"Hermione, please," she said, just as she had to Narcissa.

Tom smiled his winning smile at her. "I'm glad you're doing well," he said, and he sounded sincere. "I've arranged for Healer Forsythe to come back this evening before you go to sleep with some Skele-gro. That hand needs to be in working order."

"Thank you," Hermione said, her head bowed slightly. "I appreciate everything you've already done for me."

"I think everyone would appreciate it if you had two hands to fight with," he said with a slight chuckle.

Hermione really didn't want to like the powerful man sitting before her as much as she already did. He was exceptionally good looking and ridiculously fucking charming – she was already won over.

"I've known about you for quite a long time, Miss… Hermione, and I have to admit that the power you possess would be great for me. Not only are you powerful magically but you've also got a strong mind, a fair heart, and would help me to show the world that I'm not out to murder every Muggleborn who exists. I can just imagine the damage you would cause on the battlefield, even if you'd lost your wand I'm sure you'd be able to rig something up. I know for a fact that you'd be able to help me come up with ways to gain followers without having to go about murdering everyone imaginable, and I feel like if anyone can help repair the damage I did to my reputation in my earlier years, it would be you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with you – it's exceedingly obvious how good I am without a wand… as was proven just the other night."

"Well, you haven't been trained yet."

" _You_ train _me_?! Hermione fucking Granger – mudlood extraordinaire?" Hermione said, sounding extremely bitter, but damn it she _was_ bitter! "I'm surprised you haven't already killed me – that your men kept me alive after they found me in that goddamned forest and then brought me to you. I'm surprised I didn't spend my entire night locked in some dungeon with stone floors and no blankets." Then Hermione remembered who, exactly, she was speaking to and her face lost all colour in seconds as her eyes snapped up and met Tom Riddle's soft brown ones.

"Relax, Miss. Granger – if I wanted you dead I wouldn't have had my men out searching for you for the last two years. This is exactly what I'm talking about, a perfect example, really. I had years to think about my mistakes while I was waiting for a new body and I obviously realized that I've been doing things very, very wrong – I don't want to go on a genocidal rampage and kill off every Muggeborn out there. I do, however, want their worth as a magical citizen measured before allowing them to live in our world and drain our money when they won't be able to contribute anything worthwhile. I may not be as smart as you, but I am smart enough to realize that Muggleborn witches and wizards bring in new bloodlines and if I was to rid the world of them we would be doomed at some point. Maybe not while I'm alive, but down the road it would happen."

Hermione was shocked beyond all recognition. _Is this what Ginny was speaking about when she said that Harry didn't want me to realize what was really going on?_

"You don't want to murder Muggleborns?"

"Nope."

"You want to test their magical ability to see if they'd be a contribution?"

"That's right," Tom said, smiling at her.

 _Holy hell._

"Let's talk about the Order of the Phoenix," Tom said smoothly, changing the subject.

Hermione shook her head, feeling a lot braver than she did before Tom had entered the room. "I won't talk about them yet, Sir. I'm sorry but I'm not going to give you any information without some sort of reassurance that I won't be murdered directly after. After I receive some assurance I'll gladly tell you every single fucking thing I know."

Hermione was expecting anger, but instead Tom chuckled merrily again. "I wouldn't murder you, but I can completely understand where you're coming from. Although, what I want to know is their treatment of you. Draco and his men have informed me of what they stumbled across in the forest of Dean and I'm just curious what had happened."

"I fled the Order of the Phoenix after being attacked – well, I was already planning on leaving, actually, the attack just slowed me down some."

"Who attacked you?"

Hermione looked up and met Tom's eyes, measuring whether she should divulge the information. What was the worst that could happen? He'd kill Ron? Good fucking riddance, in her opinion.

"Ronald Weasley."

"Why did he attack you?"

"I'm honestly not sure."

"Why were you planning on fleeing the Order of the Phoenix?"

"They kept me there for two years without even letting me even take one fucking step out of that hell hole. The Order is not something I want to be a part of – they kill people without asking any questions – kill people basically for existing. Harry has lost his mind, as well as some of the other core members."

"I know the Order of the Phoenix's tactics very well, Hermione. I've lost many good friends because of their reckless actions and not very many of them were openly supporters of me and my men. I have many allies who believe in what we're doing but don't show it, and don't technically support us, because of things like jobs. Why were you kept inside the headquarters for two years?"

"I don't know. I honestly have no fucking idea, but I was definitely trapped there – like I was some sort of criminal they had to keep imprisoned. It started off with excuses, just little things, and then it kept going on and on and I'd beg them to let me go outside and stand in the yard but they refused."

Tom knew exactly why they'd kept her indoors: they didn't want him to get his hands on her. They sat in silence for a few moments and Hermione had to wonder if Tom was going to tell her about the prophecy or not. If he didn't then he'd be a liar just like everyone fucking else, and being lied to and manipulated was not something she was interested in.

"I have my own theories about your treatment, of course. I think they had you guarded so you wouldn't be out in the open – they've always known I've wanted you on our side and did everything in their power to keep you from being found. My younger men have been looking for you almost since the moment they graduated and never saw any evidence of your existence until they found you in that forest. I think Dumbledore is scared of your power, Miss. Granger, and I think he was a fool to not utilize it properly; keeping you shut up in a safe house without allowing you to go outside or join in on any raids? What a mistake."

Hermione wasn't sure how to reply to that so she stayed quiet and stared at the man before her unflinchingly instead, wondering if he was going to tell her the truth or not. That would be the deciding factor in her future.

"There's a prophecy, Miss. Granger," Tom said after another moment of silence – Hermione's breath caught in her chest, shocked that he was telling her about it. Almost _disgusted_ by the fact that Tom Riddle was already more truthful with her than Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore had been over the last few years.

"I don't remember it word for word, it has been so long since I've listened to it, but it basically states that a young Muggleborn witch who was exceedingly smart and powerful and was a member of the light would be the one to help me win this war. I knew about you from a few of my younger members and how frustrated they were with you in school because you were a Muggleborn and beat them all, constantly. It's said that you'll join my ranks and your power will be cultivated and honed until you're able to show everyone who betrayed you what they missed out on. What they did. Of course I always assumed it was you, but now that the top members of the Order have betrayed you… well it only fits."

"Did you know that I don't believe in Divination?" Hermione asked, a wry smile playing on her lips.

"I did, actually," Tom answered with a small chuckle. "Draco made sure to tell everyone how you stormed out of the class sometime around Easter when you were younger. I remember thinking when he told me how wonderful it would be to have a young woman with so much backbone on our side."

Hermione's smile turned slightly embarrassed, glad someone was seeing her as more than just a poor little victim – someone strong enough to fight for herself.

"Knowing that you don't believe it doesn't change my opinion about it, though. I'm one hundred percent sure that the prophecy is about you, and I'd really love to have you on our side."

"Tom," Hermione started, taking a deep breath because she really felt like she was pushing her luck, "do you honestly believe I would have come to speak with you if I wasn't going to join you? I would have shimmied out a window somewhere and been as far away as possible right now if I wasn't planning on joining the Death Eaters."

"There's something I feel like I should inform you about before you make the decision," Tom said, impressed with the gall of this girl. She lifted an eyebrow at him, but didn't open her mouth. "I want you to marry Draco Malfoy before the New Year."

Hermione suddenly broke into a coughing fit.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a review! It really does mean a lot to us authors to hear what people think and I just want everyone to know that I really appreciate it! I also appreciate everyone who has favourited/followed this story so far as well!**

 **A big thank you, as always, to my amazing beta Strotz, as well as KomeKozzy425 for all the help you two have given me with this story.**

 **I am currently writing chapter twenty two... and still have quite a few more to go before this story is finished. I'm really trying to not skip over time as much as I've done in my previous stories and this one has SO much information to get through, but despite the length it's really turning out awesome, so I'm excited for everyone to read it!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter** **Four**

"Marry Draco Malfoy?" she gasped, trying to get a hold of herself. God, she was an idiot. She had breathed in sharply when Tom gave her that little fucking tidbit of information and managed to choke on her own spit.

He looked amused, which wasn't helping her self-esteem at all.

"I know it seems insane, right now, but I do have my reasons for making such a request, if you'd just hear me out."

"Go ahead," Hermione said, trying to blink away the tears that had jumped into her eyes from coughing so hard.

"Draco is a squad leader – he's twenty years old and he's one of the best men I have, which sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it's true. He's strong and he doesn't fuck around. If something needs to be done, he does it. I feel that if you two were to marry in a traditional bonding ceremony you'd be the strongest Death Eaters to exist – joining your magic could only do good things for everyone."

"So you want me to marry and bond to Draco Malfoy just so we could be strong?"

"Well, there's more to it, of course. I mean, the reaction from the Order of the Phoenix alone would probably make it worth it for you, but Draco is completely loyal to those he believes to be family and he would be fiercely protective of you. I need to make sure you have as much protection as possible while in the field and I know that Draco would die himself before he'd let anything happen to you. I've also heard a few rumours about how you've both had a small attraction to each other since you were fairly young."

Hermione could feel her cheeks flaming – how the fuck could Tom Riddle possibly know how she felt about anyone when she was younger?

"Theo," she said under her breath with a small shake of her head.

"Theodore told me that, yes, but it isn't a bad thing, Hermione."

"So if I join the Death Eaters I have to marry Draco Malfoy?"

"I would be very happy if you did."

Hermione sat back and let her eyes wander while she thought things over. Marrying Draco would definitely anger everyone in the Order – actually, 'anger' was probably an understatement, and if Hermione was going to be honest with herself, she'd love nothing more than to make them furious. They'd feel betrayed and she'd love it, she'd revel in it, she'd do _any-fucking-thing_ to ensure they were in agony, stricken and weakened in some way. Gaining extra strength and having fierce protection on top of that would just be like a cherry on top of the proverbial sundae. Plus, it wasn't like Draco was bad looking – actually he was pretty fucking hot, so at the very least she'd be attracted to him. He'd grown and was taller than even Tom, and his features had softened slightly so they were less angular. His eyes were that strange silver colour, but there was something about them that she really liked. His hair and skin had both darkened somewhat – he wasn't platinum blond and pale anymore, he was almost dirty blond and carried the skin tone of someone who'd spent a good deal of time under natural lighting.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" Tom cried, clapping his hands together once. "I don't want you to worry about rushing into anything, let things happen as naturally as you can. Natural with a time limit, let's say. Now that I've gotten approval from both of you, Narcissa can start planning everything to be ready by the end of the year."

"Draco's agreed to this?"

"Last night, yes."

"Oh," Hermione said, shocked. "And am I allowed to assist Narcissa in planning?"

"If you want to, of course you can, but I have already talked to Draco about you joining his team as soon as you feel up to it, so a lot of your time is going to be spent training."

"Maybe in my free time, then," Hermione said, feeling incredibly fucking awkward to be sitting there talking to Tom Riddle about her wedding to Draco Malfoy like it was no big deal.

"Before we decide to finish this meeting there's something I feel like I should inform you about immediately, Sir, and I'm only telling you before I've received a mark because it has to do with you and your life."

"What is it?"

"Harry and specific members of the Order of the Phoenix are hunting horcruxes."

Tom's face spasmed in surprise, "How do you know what those are?"

"Dumbledore figured it all out and I also think you should know that some have already been destroyed. There are only a few members of the Order who were informed about them and I was one of them, even though I'm not a member. Harry told me a few years ago… before he started hating me."

"How many?" he asked, leaning forward across the desk.

"Two. Your diary and the Gaunt family ring."

Tom released a breath, "Do they know of any other ones?"

"I don't think so, Sir, the last I heard they were stumped after the ring."

"I'll have to look into that immediately. Thank you for telling me."

"Of course," Hermione replied.

"So I'm thinking that we should schedule your initiation ceremony for a week from today."

"Okay," Hermione said, releasing a nervous breath. Everything was happening so fucking fast and it made her nervous – not because she felt she was doing the wrong thing, but because she didn't have a chance to come to terms with everything that had happened the last few days.

Tom smiled at her, a sincere smile that made her feel warm and accepted. "After you're initiated I'll want to meet with you again so you can tell me everything about the Order of the Phoenix."

"Sounds good," Hermione said, a small smile on her face.

/

Draco Malfoy was not going to have a good day. Hermione had only been in his home for _one fucking night_ and his life had been turned completely upside down. Today was the joyous day he was going to break things off with Pansy Parkinson for good.

They'd never been dating seriously but Pansy had made sure that anyone and everyone knew that she'd love nothing more than to marry into the Malfoy family and have Draco for a husband. The fact that he'd been stupidly sleeping with her on and off for the last few years seemed to make her believe that he'd love to marry her as well.

He definitely didn't. Not that he'd had a choice in the matter, either way, but he absolutely believed he'd be about a thousand fucking times better off marrying Hermione, so he was secretly a little grateful for the ready-made reason to dump her.

"I heard through the grapevine that that mudblood know-it-all was found in a forest the other night," Pansy said, setting her teacup on the table delicately and looking up at her boyfriend and his mother, her shoulder length black hair swinging around as she looked between Draco and Narcissa. Pansy looked the same as always: black hair in a bob, too much makeup and she was wearing enough jewellery that Draco was surprised she wasn't weighed down by her neck and wrists as she tried to go about normal, everyday things. She was wearing the ugliest fucking dress Draco had seen in his entire life – it truly looked like a potato sack, and her heels were way too high. Narcissa kept her face decidedly blank, sipping from her own cup like the true lady that she was, but Draco's face darkened for a moment.

"Apparently she'd been beaten pretty thoroughly by that ginger haired beast of a man, Ron Weasley, and I even heard that he'd raped her – not that I believe that. I don't see why anyone would want to sleep with her, especially if she wasn't giving it up willingly. It seems like a lot of work for a whole lot of nothing."

"It's true," Draco said, his voice dangerously low.

"How would you know?" the dark haired witch asked after she took another small sip from her teacup. She gave him a questioning look that almost bordered on suspicious and Draco wanted to reach forward and slap the stupid cup out of her hands and tell her to fuck off. Unfortunately, he'd been raised better than that.

"I'm the one who found her," he answered slowly, trying to shake the image of seeing her bloody and broken on the forest floor – trying to rid himself of the things he'd had to see while healing her wounds.

Pansy let out a simpering laugh that almost made Draco cringe. "Did you give her a kick while she was down? She was always a thorn in our sides all through school. I'd say she probably deserved everything she got."

Narcissa set her teacup down suddenly and got to her feet gracefully, "I have a few things to check on," she said graciously but Pansy didn't see the look aimed at her back as Narcissa left the room. She couldn't stand to sit there and listen to one more word aimed solely at her future daughter-in-law and she figured if she got out of the way Draco would break it off with the aggravating girl sooner rather than later.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard," Pansy went on, oblivious to Draco's clenched fists. "I heard she was really messed up and that Potter attacked her too with some sort of ridiculous curse that almost killed her… it's just too bad she didn't cross over and do all of us a favour. Maybe you should have helped it along a little bit."

"Why do you hate her so much?" Draco asked incredulously, he'd never actually hated the girl, not with the venom Pansy was displaying.

Pansy set her cup down again and crossed one leg over the other, sitting back in her chair and looking at Draco seriously, watching his reactions now. "Why don't you?" she asked. "She's everything wrong with our world, after all."

Draco shook his head slowly, "You still don't get it, do you? We need them, Pansy – we don't need to be completely on board with all of them, but without them our heritage will die. We need the new blood. Look at every Pureblooded family you know Pansy, and ask yourself why each one only has one heir."

"The Greengrass family has two daughters."

"One family out of how many?"

Pansy didn't say anything for a few moments and she avoided Draco's eyes as she thought about his words. "They're disgusting," she spat finally. "And nothing anyone says will ever change my mind about that. They're useless, dirty, and foul, and I hope to Merlin we never really have anything to do with them!"

"With that mentality your grandchildren would never have children, if you were even lucky enough to be given grandchildren in the first place. You need to get on board with what's happening, Pansy, or you'll be left in the dust, a lonely old spinster. I don't know why you're refusing to see why it's so important to have them, but it is."

"What's wrong with you?" she asked loudly, her face twisted in confusion. "Why are you saying these things?"

"Because they're true, Pansy. Muggleborns are only a threat to us if we allow them to be and the way Tom operated in the past was a mistake and made them feel alienated and threatened. People lashed out but there's a better way to go about things and now he knows that he wants to implement them!"

"That's not true," Pansy said, her blue eyes narrowing. Draco didn't know how else to show her the truth – she simply didn't want to believe the things that were happening and it was impossible to change someone's mind when they didn't want it to happen. "Things aren't going to be any different than they've always been. You don't want things to change, do you darling?"

"Things have already changed, Pansy," Draco answered while managing to suppress a shudder at her term of endearment.

"What do you mean?"

"Look," Draco said, taking a deep breath and running his hand through his blond hair. "Things between us need to end."

"What?!" Pansy exploded, her fantasies of being a prestigious housewife dying before her very eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I never planned to marry you, Pansy, and it's about time we each get real about our lives."

"How could you say you'd never planned to marry me? We've been dating for years!"

"We've been sleeping together, not dating."

"Everyone knows we've been sleeping together, too! You think anyone is going to want Draco Malfoy's sloppy seconds?"

"Oh please," Draco said, complete with an eye roll. He knew this was going to happen and he wasn't above being completely rude to the idiot sitting across the table, his mother wasn't in the room anymore so he didn't have to project his manners so thoroughly. She was an insufferable fucking moron and he knew he'd come to regret sleeping with her for as long as he did. "You and I, as well as everyone else, knows you've slept with a hell of a lot more men than just me, so you can drop the virtuous act. I don't plan on marrying you and I don't want to see you in any romantic way anymore. We'll still see each other around because of our affiliations and I'd really like things to be civil between us, but we won't be together. Maybe one of the other men you've slept with will propose soon."

Pansy stood there with hands on her hips, spluttering in anger. She seemed genuinely surprised, which was a little shocking to Draco – they were both Pureblood, and if they were going to get married it would have happened not long after they had graduated school. He didn't understand how she didn't see it coming.

"Who is she?!" She screamed suddenly.

"Who?" Draco asked, watching the witch in front of him warily.

"Who are you leaving me for?!"

"No one, Pansy, Merlin. I'm just trying to do the right thing and it wouldn't be fair for me to lead you on anymore when there's no future."

Pansy reached across the table with her heavily jewelled hand and slapped Draco across the cheek hard, catching him off guard. He truly hadn't expected her to get physical about it, but his face jerked to the side and was stinging before he'd even processed her movement.

"You can't do this, Draco! I'm going to speak to your father right now! He'll set you right," and with that, Pansy turned on her ridiculous high heels and stormed from the room as gracefully as she could. Draco personally thought she was walking like a duck, but he didn't say anything – he had more manners than that.

Draco sighed and stood as well, rubbing his face gently as he walked the halls to meet Hermione for her first day of lessons. He had decided to start her off on wandless and non-verbal magic, just the basics, before moving on to Healing and Parseltongue, easing their way into the heavier things once she'd learned those. Healing was no easy feat but he figured she'd be relieved to learn it right off the hop – it would take an eternity for her to learn everything. Hell, he didn't even know everything he should, but he had a small text – the same text he'd started with – for them to go over and start learning.

He knew it was going to be hard to tell Pansy that they were over, but at least he'd done it and it was over with. She would go talk to his father and realize that no one in the family wanted her to bear their last name and have access to their family vaults. After that, well hopefully she'd move on and find someone to be happy with her who could put up with her pureblood propaganda and horrible attitude.

"You're late," Hermione said primly from the work table she was sitting at. She had her unruly hair pulled into a messy type of bun at the back of her head and she was lounging around in comfortable looking clothes, not robes, but sweatpants and a t-shirt. She'd already decided that she wasn't going to bring up their marriage right off the hop. She wanted to spend time getting to know him and she had the distinct feeling that he had no fucking idea she knew about it – it gave her the upper hand.

"Sorry, I got caught up," he said, moving further into the room and settling down in a chair across from her. He studied her closely and noticed that she didn't have any bandages on her left hand anymore.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to be nice.

"I'm fine," she snapped, annoyed by the question. She looked up and realized that she'd just been completely rude to him and that was unacceptable after everything he'd done for her. "Sorry. It's just that everyone has been fucking asking me that. It's getting tiresome. I ran into two people today who I don't even know and that was the first words out of their mouths. But look!" she said, suddenly excited as she held her hand up. "It's totally fixed now! I took the Skele-gro last night, fucking disgusting, but at least it did the trick!"

Draco stared. Her hand was healed but there was an angry red scar marring it where the cut had been – he had to wonder if it would ever disappear or if he'd be destined to see it the rest of his life. He wasn't expecting this – Hermione was talking to him like they were friends, like they'd known each other closely for years and it caught him off guard. He'd been expecting awkward tension and some residual hate – something awful that he'd have to painstakingly wade through until their shit was resolved. Not this.

"That's great," Draco said, giving her a genuine smile and deciding to ignore the scar. "I was really concerned about it, to be honest."

Hermione was warring with conflicting feelings – she knew she'd do her best to get along with Draco, since they'd be _fucking engaged_ in a few months, tops, but she was suddenly acutely aware that he'd seen _everything_ , he was the one who had healed her, of course. She wasn't sure if she should feel thankful or embarrassed. Maybe a mixture of both?

"Thank you…" she said quietly. "For healing me."

"You're welcome," he answered, somewhat awkwardly.

They sat in a slightly tense silence for a moment before she said, "What the fuck happened to your face?"

Draco's hand jumped up to his cheek, but he looked at her questioningly.

"It's really red," she explained.

"Don't worry about it," he answered. "It's really nothing. I was thinking about getting you started on wandless and non-verbal magic today. It'll take time but I can at least teach you the basics before we move on and if it goes well I'd like to start in on Healing and the basics of Parseltongue."

Hermione merely nodded, looking at something written in a journal type book.

"I think it would be easiest for us to start with the simple spells, I'm going to demonstrate an _Accio_ , so just watch what I'm doing closely and then you try."

Hermione wanted to laugh out loud for the first time in days but instead she put her book aside and watched the man in front of her closely. She decided to give him her full attention before showing him exactly what she could do without a wand.

She watched as a quill flew into his hand and almost smiled at the look of joy on his face – he clearly enjoyed using his magic and she was surprised he was being so open with her around. Hermione had never seen Draco look happy before and it made him much more appealing than the usual sneer he wore. She smiled until he turned to her, his eyebrow raised in a challenge.

Hermione set her wand beside the small notebook purposely before standing up and smiling blandly at Draco. She held her hands out in front of her and she stared him directly in the eyes as she forced her magic out through her hands with a burst of energy, calling the words for the spells out loudly and clearly in her mind. The torches on the walls put themselves out and then relit themselves; the books she'd brought with her started levitating and circling her and Draco and then she disarmed him, for good measure.

His eyes widened as his wand flew into her outstretched hand, the one that had never been injured, and once the torches stopped flickering she said, "I don't really need to be taught non-verbal or wandless magic, as I'm sure you can see."

Draco was gobsmacked, but he wasn't about to let her know it – he pulled out his usual façade instead.

"Well, I can see that you're able to do extremely elementary spells, but what about something…"

Suddenly Hermione was doubled over in laughter, she felt like she was being tickled everywhere at once.

"Stop!" she choked out, tears streaming down her face.

Draco lifted the _Rictumsempra_ charm and grinned at her, glad to hear her laugh, even if it was somewhat fake since he'd forced it from her with a tickling charm.

 _Levicorpus_ , Hermione thought while willing her magic to do as she asked. Draco was suddenly hanging from his ankle by an invisible rope, his pants sliding down his legs and his shirt riding up. The look on his face caused her to start laughing again as his shirt rode up even higher and covered his mouth. She was laughing so hard and it felt so good that she wasn't able to reign it in and control herself as quickly as she'd wanted to – the look on his face was just _fucking hilarious_ and she couldn't help herself. Once she was able to control herself she let him down gently, lifting the bottom of her shirt to wipe the tears from her eyes while she was still gasping for breath.

She dropped the hem of her shirt to see Draco grinning at her. He couldn't help it – her laugh was contagious and he was beyond thrilled to hear it.

She couldn't ever recall seeing the man in front of her smile.

"Okay, so you're proficient at this and obviously don't need me to teach you anything. Is there any chance you speak Parseltongue as well?"

"No," Hermione said, her eyes sliding away from his and looking back at the notebook on the table.

"Well I suppose I can teach you that, or healing, whichever you'd prefer."

"Healing, please."

"Why do you choose that one so quickly?"

"Healing is beneficial."

"So is speaking Parseltongue, but it's really up to you."

Draco moved away to find the book about healing on the shelf, but he couldn't find any of the ones he knew should have been there.

He turned around to see Hermione gesturing to the books on the table – they were the exact books he was looking for and upon closer inspection he also realized she had Tom's personal journals about speaking Parseltongue. He'd somehow forgotten that she was extremely hard headed and was always weeks ahead on schoolwork in class. _Fucking swot_.

"So I suppose there's nothing for me to teach you?"

"Not until gym time," she said, a small smile gracing her lips.

Draco approached her and sat down across from her again, watching her warily; he had a feeling she wanted to say something to him. She continued reading her handwritten journal that had belonged to Tom Riddle when he was around their age and he just sat and watched her, enthralled by her concentration. He was inspecting her insane hair when she finally spoke to him, he couldn't believe how many colours were in it naturally – it was amazing really.

"So what actually happened to your face?"

"Well… I got slapped, to be honest with you."

Hermione sniggered, suddenly remembered the time when she'd struck him.

"Who had the honours?" she asked, although it sounded like a joke more than anything and Draco was pleasantly surprised to find it didn't get his hackles up immediately.

"Pansy."

"Parkinson?! Fuck, I completely forgot she even existed."

It was Draco's turn to laugh. He'd never heard someone use that sentence before. "Lucky you – I've been trying to get rid of her for years."

"So what warranted the slap?"

Draco stopped and watched Hermione for a moment, unsure whether he should tell her he'd called things off with Pansy. What if she was curious as to why they'd broken up so suddenly? What if she was upset in the future when she realized he'd broken up with Pansy because he'd been ordered to marry her? Would she be able to handle it? She was a smart girl and would remember that Draco had slept around in school but he really had no idea what her sexual history was like. She was a fucking bookworm so he'd like to wager that she was probably pretty uptight about that kind of stuff, except the way she spoke contradicted that. She swore like no one he'd ever heard before and she did it so casually he wasn't even sure if she realized she was doing it – so maybe, just fucking maybe, Hermione Granger had more experience than he was giving her credit for.

He sincerely hoped she'd had sex at least once before Ron Weasley had his way with her, because if she hadn't… well that would be one of the saddest things he'd ever heard.

"I broke up with her," he said, deciding to be honest. He wasn't a fan of lying and knew that it would only complicate things in the future.

"Oh," Hermione said, suddenly looking awkward. "I guess she didn't take it well, then?"

"That's an understatement," Draco answered truthfully. "She really fancied imagining herself skipping through the Malfoy family vaults, counting the money and deciding what ugly dress to buy next."

"She was only interested in you because of your money?" Hermione asked, and then realized that when Tom had asked her to marry Draco the one thing she hadn't thought of was his money. In less than six fucking months she was going to have more money than she'd ever know what to do with and she hadn't even given it a thought until that moment.

"That and the prestige of my last name."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hermione answered, standing up and organizing her books into a pile. Lord, did she ever feel awkward. She knew why Draco broke up with Pansy but he didn't know she knew. She didn't like the lies though, so she decided to test him a little bit. "Is that the only reason you broke up with her?"

"No," Draco said, his face serious. "Ask me again in a couple weeks and I'll tell you."

"Okay," Hermione answered easily. "Thanks for the… uh… the lesson," she said, slipping him a small smile before gliding out of the room.

Draco groaned to himself and stayed sitting at the desk for a few moments – the know-it-all had continued in her true form and learned everything she needed to know, and he had to guess that it wasn't something she'd picked up in the last few days. She'd taught herself wandless, non-verbal magic long before she got to the manor, which was fine with him – less things he had to teach her.

He suddenly came to the conclusion that if she knew all of this before she'd left the Order she would have had to have been incapacitated pretty brutally so she couldn't defend herself during the attack. The whole point of wandless magic was to ensure your safety if you lost your wand – that's probably where the huge lump on her head had come from. He'd attacked her there first so she wouldn't be able to fight him off.

"That sonofabitch!" he almost screamed, losing control for a moment and throwing a stack of books across the room. He hadn't known when he'd found her in the forest that he was going to end up marrying her, but now that he knew and still had to live with the memories of the things he'd seen – still had to draw conclusions about what had happened by himself – it made him angrier than he could ever remember being about anything in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - I'm sorry about the somewhat lengthy wait but I was waiting for this chapter from my beta - who is also a very close friend of mine - for a few days. After speaking to her last night I've decided to just go ahead and post it without being beta'd, so if there are mistakes I'm really sorry! I'll swap it out for the beta'd version whenever she gets around to it but she's just got a lot going on right now and is extremely stressed out and I'd really prefer if this wasn't another thing on her list of things to worry about/get done.**

 **So I'm sure the next few chapters won't be beta'd either. Just a warning!**

 **I'd still like to thank her (Strotz) and Komekozzy425 for all of their help with this story and keeping me motivated to get it done! I'd also like to thank everyone who has left a review, favourited or followed this story as of now! You're all amazing!**

 **Remember to review!**

 **Chapter Five**

Lucius was sitting in his study with Tom, each sipping from a small tumbler of Firewhiskey as Tom informed Lucius of everything that had happened with his meeting with Hermione.

"They know about the Horcruxes?"

"I swear I almost shit when she told me – I wasn't expecting it at all. Dumbledore knows more than I've given him credit for but Hermione said not many people knew about it, which hopefully explains why my spy hasn't said a word about it. I'll be speaking to her as soon as she can get away, though, because as far as I can tell from the few things Hermione's told me she was treated horribly there and was left out of the loop on more than one occasion. I can't take the chance that only a few people know about it."

"So what are we going to do? Collect them and move them all?"

"I'm not sure yet," Tom said with a sigh. "I also told her about the marriage."

Lucius barked out a laugh, "I'm sure that went well."

"It did, actually. I may have reminded her how horribly the Order of the Phoenix would take it, which seemed to nudge her in the proper direction but she didn't seem horrified about it by any means. She agreed to it within a couple minutes."

"Excellent."

"I won't be surprised if she doesn't bring it up with Draco for a few weeks – I think she's willing to get to know him before the talk of marriage comes up."

"I know Draco is planning on breaking it off with Alan Parkinson's daughter today, thank Merlin. I don't exactly know what they had going on between them but Draco swears he was only sleeping with her."

"The Parkinson's are not going to take that well," Tom said before taking a small sip of his whiskey.

"I don't imagine so."

"Hopefully they don't attempt to leave my side because of it."

"They'd have to be foolish to try and attempt such a thing. They've had their eye our on vaults for years but I don't think it would be enough for them to risk losing their lives for. Alan will set her up with some other man and everything will be fine."

"Maybe I should have another one of my men make advances on her? What do you think of Blaise Zabini?"

"I hope that's a joke," Lucius said, eyeing Tom over the rim of his glass.

"Of course it is!" Tom exclaimed. "I'd have to be a complete imbecile to have not realized he's got something going on with young Theodore – although I'm completely certain that Barnabus hasn't realized his son is gay yet. That's going to be a shock."

"Barnabus Nott has never been what I'd refer to as competent."

Lucius smiled and then grimaced as there was a loud, frantic knocking on the door.

"Let the show begin," he said sarcastically to Tom, who moved his chair a little farther back in the shadows. "Enter!" Lucius called, moving his tumbler to the farthest edge of his desk while resting his hands regally in front of his body, his spine straight and a bored look on his face. A strategic power move.

"Miss Parkinson, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Lucius said, as Pansy stormed into the office, her heels clicking loudly on the floor until she came to a stop directly in front of Lucius' desk. Pansy had large tears running down her cheeks and off the bottom of her chin, smearing her makeup down her face in a very unbecoming matter. She didn't look around the room at all – she walked straight to Lucius' desk and pulled to a stop in front of him.

"Lord Malfoy, I'm sorry to interrupt you like this but Draco has just gone too far! He dumped me like I'm some piece of trash just now and said he doesn't want to marry me!"

"I don't know what you expect me to do, Miss. Parkinson, if he doesn't feel the relationship is going anywhere then that's his business – he wasn't betrothed at birth and neither were you."

"But sir, I've put so much time into this relationship, and for him to just turn around and break up with me… that's totally unacceptable. I was meant to be the next Lady Malfoy."

Lucius had no idea what to do or say and he was having a hard time being civil. "As far as I knew you weren't actually in a relationship with him, Miss. Parkinson – he'd told me numerous times that you were an outlet for his frustration and needs, nothing more. I'm sorry if you saw it for more than it was and that you felt that you deserved the title of Lady Malfoy, but unfortunately I don't see what I can do. Draco's his own man and he's just had to witness some truly horrific things that probably opened his eyes to the bigger picture."

"You mean about the mudblood?! Is that what this is about? He's suddenly different because that trash has been around?!"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't speak ill about guests in my home."

"Guests? She's staying here?!"

"Yes, she is, and she's been through a lot the last few days and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make things any worse for her."

"You're seriously sitting here telling me to stay away from the mudblood bitch because she went and got herself raped?! I don't care what happened to her a few days ago and I don't care what happens to her tomorrow! What I do care about is that your son just up and dumped me for no good reason and took away my future!"

Lucius was becoming seriously annoyed, he'd tried to be civil and decent and was about ready to lose his temper.

"I believe Lucius has asked you to stop speaking ill about the guests in his house, Miss. Parkinson," Tom cut in, his voice dangerously low. "We won't have you upsetting our newest member when she's already been traumatized enough this week and I do not appreciate the constant pressure to have Draco date or marry you. He isn't interested."

Pansy stiffened when she heard Tom's angry voice coming from the shadows behind her and when she turned around and met his eyes she went completely still. She hadn't been in his presence often – really only at large meetings – and she was utterly terrified of the man.

"My lord," she mumbled. "My apologies."

"Leave Draco alone," Tom said roughly. "I've got big plans for that boy and he doesn't need any distractions at the moment."

"Yes, Sir," she said, bowing slightly before turning to leave the room, utterly embarrassed. But regardless of what she was told and what was said to her, she was going to try to win Draco back. She was going to be the next Lady Malfoy and roll around in the riches that would supply her with everything she could ever dream about with the added bonus of a gorgeous husband. If he didn't like her all that much, that was fine – plenty of pureblood marriages were mostly out of convenience and not so much for love, so she'd be fine if he had a mistress on the side. Hell, she'd been sleeping with different men for years, it's not like she was going to change that once she was married. She just wanted the title and to be treated like royalty, especially after they won the war.

She'd get him back, somehow.

/

Hermione was standing somewhat nervously outside a closed door wearing combat boots, black pants that fit perfectly and had plenty of pockets and a black long sleeved, turtle necked shirt. _Like a fucking G.I Joe_ , she thought to herself. The outfit was specifically designed for her training sessions with Draco and she'd found them laying across her bed when she got out of the shower. She had wrestled her bushy locks into a side braid that draped over her left shoulder so it would be out of her face and she was waiting impatiently, wringing her hands nervously. She didn't know what to expect from Draco either – she had no idea how he'd treat her, what with their _new fucking relationship_. Even though he didn't know she knew. Ugh.

"You're early," Draco said, coming up behind her in an outfit extremely similar to the one she was wearing. Like they were fucking twins or something. She just hoped everyone wore matching outfits and this wasn't some sort of sick joke the elves were playing.

"When was I ever late?"

"Never, I suppose. Are you prepared?"

"I'm not sure, I really have no idea what we're doing today."

"I've been told to make sure we take it easy today, ease you into it, I guess. It's going to be tough and you're going to be exhausted for the first few days, but you'll get better at it. I need you to be strong, Hermione, so you're going to have to give it everything you've got in there – do whatever you can to bring out the anger – people train harder when they're angry."

Hermione looked away for a moment and Draco knew she wasn't even close to being 'better'.

 _Work your way in,_ he said to himself, _gain her trust and become her friend, because fucking like it or not, you'll be marrying her within six months._

Draco opened the door in front of Hermione and she followed him in, surprised to see a cavernous room with a glass ceiling and walls. It was packed full of training equipment and reminded Hermione of a gym she used to walk by when she went home for the summer, except the middle of the room was completely bare and there were tons of weapons in sight. There were lanes near the wall and Hermione assumed they would be running in the gym instead of outside.

 _How fucking peachy_ , she thought sarcastically, not looking forward to this at all. She was a bookworm not a jock.

"This room is specifically designed to put us in any situation that may arise during our raids and the war. We are not to rely solely on our wands – you should always have at least one more weapon available at all times in case you lose you wand. As you can see there are plenty of options to choose from for an extra weapon but we aren't going to be worrying about that with you anytime soon."

"What's your extra weapon?" Hermione asked, curious, eyeing a board full of knives that was on the wall by the door they had entered. Each knife was a different shape and size; Hermione was intrigued.

"It's incredibly important for us to be in immaculate shape – this is a war and being physically fit could mean life or death. Can you run?" Draco questioned, ignoring Hermione's inquiry completely.

"Yes," Hermione answered, her tone slightly stiff.

"Start running then." Draco felt completely out of his element; was he supposed to be hard on her or treat her differently than he did his men? He had no idea. Would she take it to heart if he treated her as roughly as he did his troupe, or would she take it to heart if he didn't? Fuck, he didn't know. He'd have to figure it out as he went.

Hermione looked at her boots and somewhat heavy clothes, wondering if she should change into something a little lighter.

"Run in what you're wearing. Our Death Eater outfits are dragon hide, which isn't light, and you'll be wearing the boots at all times. Once you get used to training in a heavy outfit and get into better shape you can wear less, but for now you're to wear that and run indoors. We'll move to different terrains as you start getting better at it but we never remove our boots."

Hermione grimaced at Draco, annoyed by his commanding tone; she already knew that he was the leader of this squad and it had been made clear that she needed to show him respect. She swallowed her sarcastic comments and also a little bit of pride and started jogging, her boots heavy on her feet and her large pockets on her pants impeding her movements, dragging her down.

She made it two laps of the large gym before having to stop for a break, a stitch in her side and sweat pouring down her face.

"Not good enough," Draco said. The tone of his voice made it clear that he was disappointed in her but he was still trying to go a little easier on her since it was her first day in a gym. Probably ever.

"Maybe I'm a little out of shape," she agreed, panting for breath.

"A little? We're going to have to run daily in order for you to be even close to 'in shape' until your first raid, which hasn't even been scheduled yet, by the way. As you get into better shape I'll inform Tom and he'll pick a date for your debut, but I doubt it'll be any time soon – he wants to ensure you're in great shape before sending you out."

"We have to run every day?"

"Yes. As well as weight work. I'm sure you need that just as desperately; we also work on our balance and flexibility."

Hermione wasn't aware of making a face but she must have because Draco was instantly annoyed, the frustration he'd felt over the last few days boiling over on the one person who _really_ didn't fucking deserve it.

"Do you see this as some kind of fucking joke?" he asked, not quite yelling yet, but he could feel it building up in his chest. She of all people should know first-hand how important this was. "This. Is. War. If we aren't properly prepared, we'll die – there's no other way to go about it. Maybe if you had a little bit of muscle and endurance you would have been able to protect yourself better against Weasley."

Draco cringed the moment the words had slipped from his mouth, he instantly knew that what he'd said was wrong, a low blow, completely _un-fucking-necessary_ , but he was frustrated by almost everything leading up to that moment. He needed to make her aware of how important it was to be able to protect herself from anything like that ever happening again.

He didn't think he'd even be able to handle it again, never mind Hermione, who was directly on the receiving end. He wanted to take the words back, but at the same didn't; if being harsh made her realize how serious their work in the gym was then he'd say things even worse. Judging by the way Hermione's face was reddening, she didn't appreciate it one bit, regardless if it helped her find her motivation or not.

"Excuse me?" Hermione almost yelled, wiping her sleeve across her face and storming up to him, stopping a few feet away – he knew right then he was in trouble. "Don't you dare fucking try and tell me how I could have prevented that from happening! Ron is more than a foot taller than me and has at least fifty fucking pounds of muscle on me you fucking asshole! I could train every day for a year and not be able to fight him off, so don't you dare."

Hermione was yelling in a somewhat uncontrolled manner and sparks shot out of the wand that was suddenly clutched in her hand; a few panes of the glass wall cracked with her outburst and Draco flinched slightly; he'd forgotten about her temper, somehow.

"I want to kill him for what he did to me and I did everything in my power to try and get away – I fought him, you bastard, and I even inflicted some damage, so don't you fucking dare stand here and tell me that maybe if I worked out every so often I wouldn't have been raped!"

She was full on screaming now.

"You have no fucking idea what happened to me and if I hadn't been almost knocked out first thing I would have got him with my wandless magic, you fucking bastard, but he did inflict head damage first! Not to mention the shock I was in from having my hand almost severed completely in two!" Hermione lifted her hand and held the scar mere inches from his eyes. "Maybe if I wasn't dealing with extreme shock and hadn't been given a concussion I would have got him with my wandless! Don't you dare stand here and treat me like I'm some weak fucking female!"

Hermione's voice broke suddenly and he saw tears dancing in her eyes, "Christ, you're such an asshole," she said in a wobbly voice, turning her back on him and sniffling before storming toward the door and slamming it hard behind her.

Draco stared at the spot she was standing for a moment before chasing after her. Maybe he was an asshole, but she'd also just proven his point for him with her words. He caught up to her in the entrance hall.

"That's exactly my point, though!" he yelled at her back. Hermione skidded to a halt, shocked that he would have thought it wise to follow her – none of her old friends would have done such a foolish thing and she had no idea why he'd think it was a good idea. Her temper flared again when she saw his face, gazing down at her with an 'I-told-you-so" expression.

"What's your point?" she screamed at him. "That I'm a useless, weak fucking female?

"No!"

"That I can't possibly take care of myself? Oh, look at poor Hermione, so foolish and idiotic – she managed to get caught unawares by someone who was supposed to be her friend and get beaten and raped!? Well, I didn't allow it, Malfoy! I did _everything_ I could to stop it!" Hermione's voice broke again and the next thing Draco knew she was sobbing into her hands, her wand on the floor beside her feet.

He had no idea what to do and his heart was caught in his throat, he'd never seen her cry like this. She'd cried and screamed when she was under Potter's curse, but that wasn't really the same thing – this was a totally broken cry. She'd been broken and he had just prodded the pieces of her soul with his boot like an inconsiderate piece of shit.

He looked around, lost, and saw a small group of people huddled in the doorway to the dining room; they had obviously been attracted by the yelling. Tom was at the front of the small crowd – Draco's mother and father were visible behind him. Tom made a gesture with his hand and his mother mouthed, "Help her." Draco nodded stiffly and approached the crying girl who in less than six months, would be his wife, still unsure what to do to help.

"I didn't mean anything like that, Hermione," he said softly, stooping to pick up her wand before standing directly in front of her – the toes of their boots almost touching, "I just meant that you're too reliant on your magic. You need strength in other areas too – all of my men, including myself, go through the same rigorous training exercises every single day. What if we lost our wands? What if the Order figured out a way to dampen the magic of Death Eaters in certain rooms? Our wandless magic would be no good to us then. We need to be prepared for any situation, and I want you to be just as ready as everyone else I lead. I never want you to have to go through what you have already again – I want you to be stacked."

Hermione looked up at him slowly, tears still falling from her eyes.

"If I ever had to find you in a situation like that again… I don't really know what I'd do. I was completely terrified when I saw you on the ground, Hermione, and when I saw your hand and all the other fucking things done to you… well… I was a mess. I was trying to heal your hand while you were fainted and was failing and I was just so fucking angry with myself – I couldn't do it and I was worried you'd never be able to use it again. I need you to be as strong as you can possibly be so I don't have to be worried out of my mind every single time you go on a mission."

Then she was hugging him. Her arms flew around his shoulders and held on tight as he allowed his own arms to wrap around her waist lightly – she was voluntarily hugging him and he was secretly fucking loving it.

Hermione's tears subsided and she suddenly felt like a fool.

"I'm sorry," she said, and she sounded truly miserable as she backed out of his embrace. "That was the first time I've really cried about the whole thing since I woke up yesterday morning – maybe I just needed it – but I can assure you, it'll be the last."

"We'll take today off and start again tomorrow," Draco said, backing away from her slightly and putting some air between them.

"No," Hermione said, her voice stronger. "I'm ready to start now. I shouldn't have acted that way. Unfortunately – and don't get used to hearing this – you're completely right. I'm not as strong as I need to be in every area and it leaves me vulnerable. If I'm vulnerable it puts the rest of the group at risk."

Draco nodded and turned away from her, leading her back to the gym to get started on her training exercises.

"Weight work," Draco stated once they were back inside the gym. "You need to learn the basic exercises for now and you'll learn more as we progress – but for now, these are the exercises you'll be doing every day. We take Sunday's off of weight work, by the way, to let our muscles recuperate."

 **/**

Hermione was awake and ready for training every morning for the next few days. After the first day Draco allowed his original squad and his best friends to join them so they could continue their own exercises. He'd also told her that they'd have the gym to themselves before her marking ceremony, but afterwards it would be occupied by other members of the Dark who felt the need to train.

She was nervous to train with the former Slytherin's but was grateful that Draco had kept them away for her first day in the gym; embarrassing herself in front of Draco was bad enough, she didn't need his friends there too.

"Hey beautiful!" Theo greeted a couple mornings later, running forward and pulling her into a tight hug. "How are you doing?!"

"I've been better," she replied seriously, hugging him back just as fiercely. "I'm ridiculously sore but I'm so fucking glad to be here with you guys!"

Blaise clapped her on the back as he entered the gym and Vincent and Greg both nodded their heads in greeting as they walked by.

She had plenty of questions to ask and thought maybe Draco would be less hostile and more forthcoming with the answers if his friends were around to support him; maybe they would give him a hand answering some of the more difficult ones. Hermione had been up late the previous night thinking of things about the Death Eaters she wanted to ask Draco, Theo and Blaise about. She didn't know Gregory and Vincent very well but they seemed interested in her and weren't hostile towards her by any means, so she figured they'd probably help answer any questions.

"Run," Draco said, gesturing to the lanes around the outside of the walls. Theo, Blaise, Greg and Vince all started running immediately, their combat boots barely making a sound in the large space as hers tromped on the floor like she was some sort of fucking elephant. Hermione took a deep breath and started running behind them, Draco taking off at the same time, but she was no match for any of the men; she had quickly been lapped by everyone.

She did three laps and the stitch in her side was back, her lungs screaming in protest as she tried to continue; she stopped immediately and leaned against the wall, sweating profusely.

"You're going to have to do a lot fucking better than that to outdo any of us!" Draco called as he ran by her gracefully.

She continued leaning on the wall for support as she watched the men run. Draco was graceful and fast; he was on at least his fifth lap and hadn't broken a sweat yet. Vince and Greg were on their sixth lap and had been going at a dead run the entire time, Hermione was in awe of them – she had never expected them to be so fit. Blaise and Theo were lithe and lean, they had less bulk than even Draco and nowhere near as much as Greg and Vince; the two smaller men were quick and light on their feet, looking almost like they were floating instead of running.

She didn't understand how they were all so quiet. They were wearing the same boots as her and she couldn't recall ever hearing any of them take a step, even when they were running full out. It was strange.

"One more lap, at least!" Draco yelled at her as he ran by, not even breathing hard. Hermione wanted to tell him to fuck off but figured she should at least try to do one more so they didn't scream at each other again.

She did one more lap and called it quits, sitting down immediately while trying desperately to catch her breath.

"Stand up," Draco said, stopping beside her; he had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead but that was it.

"I can't," she wheezed.

"You have to, you aren't supposed to sit down right after cardio; stand up and walk around slowly while regaining your breath."

Hermione climbed to her feet and did as she was told, gasping for air. Her legs felt heavier than ever because they were weighed down by her boots. She watched the men as her breathing evened out and noticed that they were all joking and having a good time while running; Blaise had removed his shirt and looked as though he still had tons of energy and she was fairly sure she'd seen Theo looking at him rather appreciatively.

Interesting.

She'd always had a feeling about the two boys when they were in school but couldn't bring herself to ask because it wasn't really any of her business. Seeing them together again had confirmed her suspicions – they were definitely an item.

Draco walked to a weight rack and chose some dumbbells; Hermione followed suit and figured this would be the best time to start asking her questions.

"So what changed Tom's mind about Muggleborns?" she asked, trying to sound casual as she started the arm exercises Draco had taught her the day before.

He looked at her for a moment, surprised.

"He's interested in power, Granger, not mass murder. If he needs to kill in order to get what he wants, he will, but his main goal is power. We've already taken over St. Mungo's and the Ministry is next on the list. I've heard the healers myself say how much better things are now that Tom is their head."

Hermione hummed, going over Draco's words in her mind. Tom had already told her about his plans for the Muggleborns who wouldn't fit into their world so she didn't really need to press the issue.

"Is the story the Order and Dumbledore have always pushed about Tom trying to murder Harry when he was a baby true?" Hermione asked, she'd always been somewhat suspicious of that. She could think of plenty different ways to ensure a child didn't grow up to overthrow her and not one of them had to do with murdering him

"Obviously not," Draco scoffed.

"He went there to speak with Potter's parents about them joining him. Apparently Dumbledore stormed in to 'save the day' and ended up starting a duel. Tom had some men stationed outside and as soon as they realized what was happening they rushed in to help – Dumbledore called in some Order members as well. I guess it was an all-out brawl, really, and both Lily and James were killed in the crossfire – Harry was hit by a ricochet – no one knows who's – and was injured in that way," Theo explained.

"So Dumbledore just pushed the story out there about Tom trying to murder an infant and his family to make him seem even more psychotic?"

"Exactly."

"That's insane," Hermione said. "Totally fucked."

"Maybe so but you believed it at one point."

"I… you're right. I did. But it's pretty obvious that I was completely fucking blinded by those assholes. So what's with Dumbledore, then? Why does he want Tom dead so badly? Why all the fucking lies?"

"Power, Hermione. Dumbledore was once the most powerful wizard in the Wizarding World, imagine being a teacher and realizing that there was a student who would become much more powerful than you could ever hope?!" Greg was pacing while trying to make her understand. "Actually, imagine being a headmaster and realizing one of your students would be more powerful than you," he said, gesturing to Hermione. "He kept you locked up, did he not? He didn't want you free, Hermione, because he knew that you'd be a force, he didn't even want you fighting for his own side because he didn't want people to understand that you could probably outdo him."

Hermione laughed outright. "There's no fucking way I would ever be able to take out Dumbledore."

"You underestimate yourself, Hermione," Draco said seriously and she looked up at him in surprise – he'd said it so softly…

"You're brainwashed against yourself," Vince corrected, breaking Hermione's gaze from Draco and causing her to look at him. "You don't think you're as strong as you are because you've been listening to Dumbledore and those morons you once called your friends. Just like you were brainwashed against us all those years; you didn't understand what was happening."

"So Dumbledore knows that you guys don't want to go on a genocidal killing spree against Muggleborns?"

"I'd assume so," Vince said quietly. "Since I told him in our final year. I had gotten into a fight with that weird Lovegood girl and was pulled into the Headmasters office. He was going on and on about how I was following the wrong man, basically telling me whatever he thought would make me turn my back on Tom, and I set the record straight."

"So he's known and he's still telling the Order all of those things? That's just wrong."

"He needs support," Blaise said, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure he had all of us in his office at some point over the last two years of school to try and convince us to make the switch. As far as I know, the Order isn't as big as it used to be and to be honest I wouldn't be overly surprised if most of the Order knew what he was doing and were backing him anyway. Everyone who has been told everything understand it's just a huge power struggle and they obviously want the side they're supporting to win, in the end, because it would be better for them."

"If we've already taken over St Mungo's why don't we have more supporters?"

"We have plenty of supporters and marked Death Eaters, Granger," Draco answered. "But with Dumbledore and the 'Chosen One' out there rallying against us it's impossible to have the support of everyone; they still have a lot of people rallying for them, even if they aren't part of the movement. Some people believe everything because they want to, not because they have any proof."

"The prophecy… is that real?"

"Yes," Vince said. "I heard it myself."

Draco shot him a look and Vince shut his mouth quickly but looked a little confused.

"So Tom is out to get Harry because the prophecy said he'd be stronger."

"That's not what the Prophecy said," Theo said, looking uneasy now. "It said that Harry would be able to defeat him if certain things fell into place; it definitely didn't say Harry's stronger. He's lucky and that's all. Think about it, Hermione, if he didn't have you with him since he was eleven he wouldn't be here now."

Hermione stopped completely and thought back to all the times she had saved Harry and Ron's asses because she was smart and powerful. It was way more often than she'd like to admit and for them to turn on her as brutally as they had; for them to lock her in the house for two years and punish her for speaking her mind, for Ron to attack her the way he had…

A surge of power went through the air, Hermione at the epicenter and Draco's eyes widened as he looked at her. The glass walls cracked again in a small area and Blaise raised an eyebrow, looking at her curiously. Her eyes met Draco's and he seemed to be telling her to relax without opening his mouth and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

She had been used, in more ways than one.

If she hadn't met Harry and Ron on the Hogwarts Express and befriended them later after the troll incident neither boy would still be around, in her opinion, and if they weren't around who would Dumbledore have to help sway the minds of citizens in their direction? Harry was a fucking poster child for all things wrong going right and now that Hermione knew his scar wasn't even a direct cause of Tom she felt sick to her stomach. The Order were nothing but liars.

But Hermione realized something else from that train of thought – something important. Dumbledore would have figured it out too, and if he didn't tell the rest of the Order about the lie he had generated 19 years ago then he'd be sacrificing Harry for absolutely no reason at all. No reason except to get rid of another threat, anyway.

"I already know about the prophecy about me, Draco, so you can stop giving Vince the fucking stink eye."

"You know about it?"

"Tom told me during our meeting."

"Oh. I guess that's good – I'm glad he isn't keeping things from you."

Hermione met Draco's eyes. She knew that he had worded that specifically as a test to see if she knew Tom wanted them to get married.

"No, he sure isn't," she said, smiling slightly.

"Good. Now, time for weight work."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Again, my beta is too busy with real life right now to work on my chapters for me, so any mistakes in this are completely my own fault! Thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed this story, and an extra special shout out to Wildravn, Dixie362, and kabg01 - you've all left me numerous reviews so far and I can't even explain how much it means to me!**

 **I had to break the next situation up into three chapters (!) so this one is a little shorter than the others because this just felt like a good spot to naturally break it - if you all do an amazing job reviewing I'll post the next chapter sooner rather than later!**

 **Thank you to my beta, Strotz, for everything, even though she's been unable to help me on the last few chapters due to the time of the year (Tax Season!) and KomeKozzy425 for being ever patient and helping me work out the holes in my plot!**

 **Chapter Six**

Everyone was sitting around the dinner table the night before Hermione's marking. It had been pushed back an extra week because Tom had to leave England suddenly with a few of his men – something about the Bulgarian government.

"I bought a new dress for you, Hermione," Narcissa said into the silence. "For tomorrow night."

"You didn't have to do that, Narcissa," Hermione said, butterflies erupting in her stomach again. She managed to keep herself together if no one brought up the next night, but considering it seemed to be all everyone could talk about she was having a pretty hard fucking time taking her mind off of it.

"Of course I did! This is a big night for you and I'm sure you'd like to look your best. Unless you brought a dress of your own?"

"No…"

"Leave her alone, mum," Draco jumped in, coming to her defense almost immediately. "We had a long day in the gym today and we're all exhausted. I'm sure she wants to try and relax a bit before tomorrow."

"Of course, of course," Narcissa said, turning her attention to her husband instead.

"How many times did you have to get picked up off the floor today, Hermione? Six, seven?"

"Oh, fuck off, Theo! It isn't my fault Draco goes so hard on me all the time."

"Language, dear," Narcissa admonished automatically. It seemed to be her goal to clean up Hermione's mouth, but the girl didn't care – its how she'd always spoke and nothing was going to change it. Not even Narcissa telling her that it was very unbecoming and made her sound like a lonely, miserable old man.

"What should I expect tomorrow night?" Hermione asked instead of acknowledging Narcissa.

"A room full of people waiting to see you get your mark?" Blaise asked innocently.

"Don't you have a home to go to?" she asked in retaliation, annoyed that they wouldn't take her seriously now that the subject had been breached.

"Yes, but it's boring there. That's why I choose to eat every meal with you and your charms," Blaise answered, smiling innocently.

"Me too," Theo said.

Hermione wished Greg and Vince were eating with them – they always stuck up for her, but they'd been summoned to their own homes for dinner. Hermione was pretty sure they were being grilled about her presence in the manor and her marking ceremony the next evening.

"I mean should I expect to be attacked while standing in front of all the Death Eaters, considering who I am and what I used to stand for?"

"You're being ridiculous," Lucius answered, taking a sip of wine.

"It seems like a pretty valid fear, to me."

"Hermione, you're hardly the first person to defect from Dumbledore's point of view and come to us," Tom answered slowly, weighing his words. "You'll be surprised tomorrow night and you obviously still have a lot to learn – no one would dare do anything to another Death Eater unless they wanted to die a slow and painful death. The marks have a specific magic in them that will not allow someone bearing it to attack another without harming themselves as well, unless of course I've altered the magic to enable such a thing to happen – something that is very rare, I assure you. The only people who don't have an obvious mark on their skin are our spies, but the reason for that is pretty self-explanatory and while they still have a mark somewhere on their body they don't bear the obvious mark on their forearms."

"Oooooh you have spies?! Who!?"

"You'll see."

"Anyone I know?!"

"You'll see tomorrow, Hermione."

"Have many people have defected from you?"

"Only a few, but they were found dead before anyone even knew they'd planned to betray us. That's the whole point of the vow you take before you're marked."

The way Tom said that made the baby hairs on Hermione's neck stand on end but Dumbledore and Harry had tried to kill her the second they'd realized she was speaking to Death Eaters so apparently killing people who were going to defect was practiced on both sides of the war. At least Tom's way was lucrative in ensuring he kept loyal followers who wouldn't turn their backs and there was no way a spy for the Order would be in the mix.

"Fair enough," she answered diplomatically, turning her attention back to her meal and realizing that Draco was still talking about the fucking gym.

"Can you give it a rest, please!? Jesus, it isn't like we don't spend all goddamned day in there – oh no – we need to rehash everything we do all evening, too."

"Relax, I was telling my father how good of a job you've been doing. In fact, I was going to tell my men to reveal their alternate weapons to you tomorrow night after your marking, but if you're too tired to hear about it after the fact then never mind."

Hermione levelled a glare at Draco for that – she had been bothering them for a week to know what their weapons were, but Draco didn't want her 'getting sidetracked'.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. I guess they'll just have to wait a little bit longer."

Hermione slapped Draco on the arm. "That is _not fucking fair_ , Draco Malfoy!"

He laughed.

"Language, dear."

/

Hermione was standing in her bedroom waiting for Lucius to pick her up and escort her down for the Marking Ceremony, capital M, capital C.

She was looking at herself in the mirror and admiring her reflection – the dress Narcissa had chosen for her was simple, really. It was black and hugged her curves becomingly, the many layered tulle skirt tufted out and it was short enough that her legs looked ridiculously long, yet not too short that she had to be worried about strangers being able to see her knickers while she stood on the dais with Tom. Her hair was down and smoothed out so it was straight and ended at her waist. Her makeup was simple and she wore no jewellery.

Hermione opened her door to peek out and see if Lucius was in sight yet – she was incredibly nervous and was getting pretty damned sick and tired of waiting for him. He was walking down the hall toward her in a very nice suit that was clearly tailored to fit him perfectly. Hermione still couldn't get over the fact that everyone was dressing in muggle clothing but she was personally not a fan of wizarding dress, so she wasn't complaining.

"You look incredible," Lucius said, smiling happily at her.

"I'm so, so nervous," she answered, wringing her hands together for effect.

"Everything is going to be fine, just answer the questions and move on. You're allowed to stop and take time to think about your answers, too, but they're pretty straightforward – and a little hint – he just wants you to say yes."

Hermione puffed out a breath and walked companionably beside Lucius to the ballroom.

"It's really not that bad."

"Is it going to hurt?"

Lucius met Hermione's eyes, surprised that she'd ask such a question considering everything she'd been through. "It will hurt a little bit but you've had much worse – you'll be fine!"

"Oh God, I can't feel my legs!"

"What do you mean?!" Lucius asked, turning to her quickly in alarm.

"I'm so nervous my legs are numb!"

"Come on, Hermione. Get it together."

"I'll be fine," she assured, although she was a little worried she'd break an ankle in the damn heels she was forced to wear. "I'll be fine."

"Just take my arm and remember to put one foot in front of the other. I know it's scary but it will be over before you know it."

"I don't like large groups of people," Hermione admitted suddenly.

"Oh, and you couldn't have told Tom that a week ago? Stop being ridiculous, let's go."

Lucius threw open the double doors before Hermione had a chance to argue and began to tow her down the aisle toward Tom, who was wearing a dashing charcoal suit and was standing on a raised dais waiting for her. Hermione's stomach was in knots and her legs were still numb. She avoided looking around – she didn't want to see all of the people pressing in on her – but before she knew it she was standing at the bottom of the stairs that would lead her directly to Tom.

"Draco is just to the right," Lucius said in a calming voice. "You'll be facing him and if you get scared you can just look at him – he'll reassure you, I'm sure."

Hermione met Lucius' eyes and tried to decipher what he meant but she didn't have the time to figure it out before she was approaching Tom, who was smiling encouragingly.

"Welcome, Hermione!" He boomed, and loud clapping and whooping suddenly erupted in the hall. Hermione couldn't avoid it anymore and looked around, but she didn't look at the individual people, she just looked at the crowd itself, surprised by how large it was. There had to be at least seven hundred fucking people there.

"Oh, God," she said under her breath, her eyes frantically searching for Draco.

She met his silver eyes just over Tom's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked genuinely happy and was clapping politely along with everyone else. He was wearing a suit that matched his fathers and looked ridiculously good – it almost wasn't fair that there were people on the planet who just looked so fucking good in anything they chose to wear. She was checking him out in appreciation before she remembered that her Marking Ceremony was neither the time nor the place for such antics. She met his eyes again and realized he had seen exactly what she was doing – he looked pretty fucking proud of himself as he gave her a small smile, his eyes twinkling at her.

"As you all know, you're here tonight to witness and celebrate the marking of our newest member, Hermione Granger! She came to us a couple weeks ago with some of our younger members, beaten and abused, under a horrific curse that was meant to kill her – and would have, if I hadn't known the counter curse. I'd appreciate it if everyone could ensure that she feel welcomed in our group, regardless of her blood status!"

There was more cheering and Tom was suddenly gathering her left hand in his before saying, "Bellatrix, if you could do the honours?"

"It would be my pleasure, Tom," Bellatrix said evenly, approaching Hermione with her wand drawn – the image was made less frightening by the fact that the black haired woman was smiling at her pleasantly.

"Are you ready to take the Oath, Hermione?" Tom asked loudly so his voice could reach all areas of the hall.

"I am," she said, smiling at the man as Bellatrix hovered around them, her wand mere inches from the skin on Hermione's hand.

"Do you, Hermione Jean Granger, from here on out vow to do everything in your power to assist this side of the war?"

"I do," Hermione said immediately, trying to speak just as loudly as Tom was and wanting this to be over – she truly did hate large groups of people.

"Do you vow to be faithful and loyal to me and our fellow Death Eaters?" Tom asked, gesturing to the crowd. Hermione looked out at the huge crowd again without actually looking at individual people but she thought everyone was smiling up at her – that's what it felt like, anyway. Hermione locked her eyes with Draco's as she said, "I do," while letting out a breath.

"Do you vow, Hermione Granger, to be the best Death Eater you can possibly be and keep yourself and the group you are assigned to alive to the best of your ability?"

"I do," she said, her eyes drifting back to Tom's – she would sincerely do everything in her power to make sure Draco and his friends stayed alive whether she had taken a vow or not. Not just because they were her squad-mates but because she genuinely liked them and couldn't imagine being without them. They'd saved her and she would never, ever be able to turn her back on that – even if she hadn't been friendly with Theo and Blaise before they'd found her she still wouldn't. She would do everything in her power to make sure that these men lived throughout the war.

"And lastly, do you vow to kill or torture anyone that is asked of you without hesitation?"

Hermione closed her eyes upon hearing that question, contemplating the words seriously. Could she vow to kill Harry Potter? Ronald Weasley? She thought about everything they'd put her through, not just the beating, the rape and the curse, but everything they'd done since they were eleven years of age. How they'd make fun of her behind her back while foolishly thinking she didn't know; how Harry would take Ron's side over everything, even when he was being a complete fucking git. She thought about how Harry would always run out of the castle for quidditch practice and expect Hermione to do all of his fucking homework for him so he could go out and have some fun – a habit Ron picked up once he'd joined the team. How they'd lied to her about everything, _every fucking thing_ , for the last two years and kept her locked up in a house, just so Ron could eventually burst into her room and attempt to destroy her.

"I definitely do," she said, leaving out the curse that was on the tip of her tongue for Narcissa's sake. She could just imagine how embarrassed the woman would be if Hermione swore at a public event while she everyone was focused on her.

Tom grinned at her while a blue light shot from Bellatrix's wand and wound itself over his and Hermione's joined hands. The twisting blue light stopped after a few moments and everyone was still while the magic determined whether Hermione was being truthful or not. After a few painful moments it sunk into their skin, validating Hermione's words and binding her to the cause.

Cheers erupted again as soon as the light had disappeared and Hermione jumped slightly, surprised by the support she was receiving. It made her feel warm and fuzzy and so fucking welcomed – a feeling she wasn't used to at all and she couldn't help but to smile out toward the crowd.

"Your left arm, please," Tom requested, holding his hand out.

New butterflies emerged in her stomach as she stretched out her arm and placed it in Tom's hand – he gripped it by her wrist and lifted his wand carefully. He met her eyes for a fleeting moment before he pressed his wand into her skin and said, "Morsmordre!"

It wasn't so bad at first, but after a few moments Hermione could literally feel her skin cells burning away and morphing – filling with the black ink-like substance that twisted and curved into the Dark Mark. It continued to get more painful, her eyes widening as the skin on her arm bubbled and burned. She turned her eyes to Draco, who was looking like he wanted to run over to her and whisk her away from the pain and managed to give him a small smile – her eyes feeling somewhat watery. She wouldn't cry or shout out though, not in front of all these fucking strangers who would peg her as weak if she did something as foolish as that.

He smiled back and just like that, the pain stopped.

"Welcome, Hermione!" Tom shouted again as more cheers and clapping erupted from all over the ballroom.

Hermione looked out again, and this time actually looked at the people before almost falling off the side of the dais in shock.

Standing about halfway through the large room was none other than _Ginny fucking Weasley_!

"Oh my God," Hermione breathed, ripping her eyes away from a clapping Ginny before taking in even more people that she was surprised to see.

Justin Finch-Fletchley – a Muggleborn and former member of the Order of the Phoenix. Dennis Creevey- a Muggleborn who's brother was part of the Order of the phoenix. Romilda Vane. Alicia Spinnet, and was that Padma Patil?! Oh, fuck! It was!

Hermione was shocked but elated at how many people she recognized in the crowd. It was also full of students she'd known who attended Slytherin but that wasn't really a surprise. She did notice that Pansy Parkinson was giving her the major fucking stink eye and she decided to have a little fun at her expense, but she'd try and keep it together until after she'd spoken to Draco. It was a snap decision but she suddenly felt like she wanted to get the whole marriage talk out of the way at some point during the night.

Draco was by her side suddenly, escorting her down the stairs to the dais and to a table where his parents were sitting, smiling proudly in her direction. While she'd been inspecting the crowd tables with food had appeared and she was suddenly ravenous.

"You did great," Draco said from her side, her left scarred hand clamped tightly in his right as he pulled her through the crowd of people who were all congratulating her and smiling, their shoulders bumping because there were so many people in the room.

"Thanks," Hermione breathed, distracted. She couldn't help but to stare at the mark on her arm – a mark she had been taught to detest since she was eleven years old, but she was one of them now and was quickly learning that all was not as it seemed. She traced it with her eyes slowly, wanting nothing more than to reach out and trace it with her fingers, thinking about the smouldering burn that imprinted it onto her skin. This was her life, now – she was a Death Eater. _A fucking Death Eater!_ She had been taken into a new wizarding order with open arms and nothing but kindness and she never thought she would treasure the Dark Mark so immensely and immediately, it showed her who was really there for her and it made her feel a part of something.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked as they approached the table. He let go of her hand gently and pulled out a chair for her to sit in – always a gentleman, well, in front of his mum at least.

"Did I see Ginny fucking Weasley in that crowd or was I hallucinating?!" She asked the table loudly, causing Narcissa to cringe and Draco to smile widely.

"You saw her."

"How the hell did that happen?!"

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to speak with her after dinner, Hermione, but for now you should really try to eat something."

Hermione focused her attention on the table in front of her and her mouth started to water immediately. It was laden down with food and she hadn't eaten a thing all day thanks to the butterflies in her stomach.

"Eat, dear, I noticed you hardly touched anything today," Narcissa said, picking up her own plate and putting small, even portions on it. Hermione grabbed up her own plate and started piling a ridiculous amount of food on it, making Draco laugh and Narcissa cringe again. She had to hand it to the woman – she was irritated by most things that Hermione did but she never openly criticized her in a way that made her feel like shit. They were completely different people and Hermione was happy to see that Narcissa was accepting of that – especially if they were going to technically be related within the next six months.

"Hermione," she heard as she was putting a mound of Yorkshire puddings onto her plate before smothering them in gravy. She noticed Draco turn his attention to whoever was standing just behind her shoulder and gave him a _look_ – he shrugged and continued to watch. "I'm shocked to see you here."

Hermione turned to Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Muggleborn in her year at school who was in the Hufflepuff house.

"I could say the same," she said as they shook hands. "I was glad to see a few familiar faces, anyway." She turned in her seat fully to face the man who was looking way more grown up than she felt. He looked happy though.

"What caused you to defect?" He asked casually.

Hermione swung her face away from him instantly upon hearing the question, her hair hiding her eyes from Justin's view; Draco's brow creased at the question and her attitude toward it. It would be a long time before she was actually alright, he figured. He hadn't seen her interact with someone who didn't know what had happened and he really didn't like the way she looked almost ashamed of herself. It made him absolutely fucking sick to think that she felt even a tiny bit responsible. He sent Justin a small glare, but the other man wasn't looking his way.

"A lot of things," Hermione answered vaguely.

Justin nodded, "I understand," he said, even though Hermione and Draco were both sure that he didn't.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked, pulling her hair behind her ear and looking back at her friend, genuinely curious. "Being a part of the Death Eaters?"

"I do, actually. It's certainly different than we were taught when we were younger, but I find it more enjoyable than being in the Order. We actually do productive things – not just attacking innocent people and planning. Tom really does treat everyone fairly, also, which is important to me – Harry just…"

It was clear that Justin didn't want to speak ill of their former friend even though they were both following Tom Riddle now.

"Harry is an arrogant pig-headed arse and he'll learn the hard way that he's going about everything the wrong way. Did you know that they purposely attacked a non-affiliated Pureblood's house and even though the witch was fucking pregnant they still tortured her?"

"I was already following Tom then and I knew the witch. It was horrible and Tom was raging mad."

"It was truly awful. I objected it and was banned from the meetings for weeks."

"He's sick," Justin spat, speaking of Harry, clearly still angry about it. "I should let you eat, though," he said, gesturing to the plate of food in front of her.

Hermione nodded and said, "It was so nice to see you," before turning back to the table. Blaise and Theo had joined them now, each with a plate of food in front of them and it seemed as though Draco decided he'd be better off drinking instead of eating anything. Lucius immediately pulled the men into a conversation and Hermione was quite happy to just sit and listen so she could eat her meal.

"Can we talk when you're done eating?" Draco asked suddenly, sipping from his glass and looking slightly nervous.

"Of course," Hermione answered, smiling at him graciously. She didn't miss the fact that Theo and Blaise heard Draco's question before turning to each other with a grin.

Tonight was the night and apparently everyone fucking knew it.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- Not beta'd so any mistakes are my own!**

 **Thanks to Strotz and KomeKozzy425 for being awesome as fuck!**

 **Chapter Seven**

"I really need to speak to you about something," Draco said, eyeing her as she walked along in silence.

"Okay," she agreed easily, knowing what was going to occur in the next half hour. "Where should we go?"

"Any available, empty room is fine," he replied, looking a little warm as he led her through the busy house by her hand.

"Let's just go up to my room, then. No one will be in there and it's not that far – plus, there are tons of fucking people down here." She almost shivered by the sheer volume of people in the halls – she'd been mostly alone for her two years with the Order and in the last two weeks had only been with her squad, Draco's parents and Tom. She wasn't used to big groups and her hate for them suddenly reared in her chest, almost making her dizzy.

"Sure," he replied, swallowing nervously.

They walked in silence until they were outside her bedroom door, which didn't take long enough for Draco's liking. _Fuck he was nervous!_

"This is rather important and I really don't feel right keeping it from you any longer," Draco told her suddenly, letting go of her hand as they approached her room.

He looked insanely nervous but she also didn't think she'd ever seen him look so serious about anything before – even while in the gym, and _that_ was saying something. She almost laughed out loud and then felt extremely guilty that she was letting him carry the weight of their upcoming wedding on his shoulders without being even a tiny bit fucking aware that she already knew about. Was she being a huge asshole by not relieving his fears about it? Probably. She wanted to see what he was going to do, though, what he was going to say – whether he was going to be truthful or not – so she kept her mouth closed and watched him closely.

She opened her bedroom door and gestured for him to follow, he hovered awkwardly at the doorframe for a moment before he took a breath and followed her inside. He'd never been in a females room before, not even his mothers, because it 'wasn't right' – although he was wagering a guess that Hermione Granger didn't give a fuck what was and wasn't right according to Pureblood custom. Plus, he was going to be marrying her soon so what did it really matter?

"What is it?" Hermione asked, and Draco snapped back to attention and saw that she was sitting in her own small sitting place situated around her fire. Her room was almost the exact same as his, just a little more feminine and the colours weren't as dark and broody. He thought his room was maybe a fraction bigger, but other than that… the same. He didn't feel so awkward about being in there anymore.

He moved forward and took a seat, leaning toward her carefully while trying to avoid touching the lump in his pocket he had been carrying all evening. His heart was beating in his chest harder than it should have been and he had to loosen his collar slightly so he could breathe properly – she looked like she was trying to smother a smile and that made him even more nervous.

"I want you to know, before I tell you this that it isn't why I've been being nice to you. You do truly intrigue me and I can definitely see us… well… I just want you to know that these last couple of weeks… they've been… fuck… well everything is just so different now. I can see us… wait, I'm getting ahead of myself." Draco cleared his throat and Hermione was looking at him incredulously, her eyebrows high on her forehead and her sparkling brown eyes shining at him. She had _never_ heard him ramble before and had to focus on not laughing out loud at the bashful look on his face; he seemed out of his element and it was extremely endearing.

Maybe she'd throw him a bone.

"Draco," she said, unable to wipe the smile from her face. "Just relax and tell me what's going on."

She watched him run a hand through his hair, agitated, as he swallowed hard over a lump in his throat. He was fidgeting and kept loosening his collar like he couldn't breathe, he even pulled his tie down so the knot was closer to his chest than his neck. She almost broke and brought up their wedding, but held it in so she could see how he was going to go about it – she did reach out and touch his hand with hers gently though, so he could see that she was supportive of him.

He grabbed onto her fingers like a lifeline and turned his hand so their palms were together, holding on tightly before he used both of his hands to turn it around in his own, amazed by how fucking tiny it was; it fit into his easily.

"They want us to marry," he blurted, and then mentally slapped himself. Why couldn't he be cool and suave with her the way he was around other females?

"I'm sorry?" Hermione asked, wanting to hear his explanation. She was sure she looked absolutely fucking insane because she could feel the grin on her face. Draco didn't look at her though – he instead took a steadying breath and went back to inspecting her hand. "Tom wants us to consider getting married before the year ends – it's not why I've been nice to you, I would have been anyway, but he's requested that I court you."

Hermione heard the words 'court you' and couldn't keep it in any more. She burst out laughing so hard that she snorted while inhaling – her laughter was pealing out of her uncontrollably and Draco looked up at her from their hands, a highly offended look on his face that made her laugh so hard she was barely making a sound.

"I'm serious!" he said, dropping her hand and staring at her.

She began clapping her hands together in front of her with each silent laugh that was tearing from her lungs – she was sure she looked like a complete moron but seeing the distressed look on Draco's face was just too much. Tears were pouring down her cheeks and her stomach muscles were starting to hurt. He thought she thought he was joking!

He continued staring at her as she calmed down. "Holy shit," she managed to get out between laboured breaths. "I really needed that laugh, Draco, so thank you!"

"I'm being serious," he said again, looking a little bit hurt now.

"I know you are. I know. Tom talked to me about it during my first meeting." She giggled again at the look of shock on his face, feeling slightly hysterical. She had been trying to placate him so he didn't look so hurt by her laughter but she still couldn't stop giggling. She stopped for a few moments and took a couple deep breaths to try and get control of herself.

"Honestly, Draco," she started once she got herself together. "I already agreed and your mum has been in planning mode for two weeks already. Didn't you ever wonder where I was when I wasn't in the gym?! I was locked up in your mother's suite, choosing things from the narrowed down choices to use for our wedding."

"Are you joking me?" He asked, looking at her in wonder.

"No, I'm not joking."

"Why did you make me struggle through that?!"

"I just wanted to see if you'd tell me the truth," Hermione said nonchalantly with a shrug.

"So you knew when I told you that I'd broken up with Pansy it was really because of you?"

"Yes."

Draco groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"I appreciate that you've been truthful about everything with me though, Draco."

"You weren't truthful with me, though."

"That's not true – you never asked me. Tom told me that I didn't have to bring it up right away so we could get to know each other easier without all that awkward tension between us and I really think it worked."

Draco let out a breath. "I feel like I should be a little more involved in wedding things."

"Honestly, I'm hardly involved either. Your mum picks everything and gives me two to four options to choose between."

"When are you meeting with her again?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I'd like to go."

Hermione looked at him for a moment and then understood that he was maybe a little fucking hurt that he'd been left out of the loop by everyone he cared about. She suddenly felt awful and maybe even a little bit sad that she'd managed to hurt him already.

"I'm sorry you weren't aware that I knew…"

"It's fine," he said, a little stiffly.

"I probably shouldn't have kept it from you and I also maybe shouldn't have 'tested' you – and everyone else for that matter – but I've been lied to so much that now I feel like everyone is fucking lying to me and I just… I don't know. I want to be secure in my relationships here, not like I was with the Order."

"I won't lie to you…"

"I know. You haven't up to this point so… I'm done testing you and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said, sounding more natural now, like he understood exactly what she had meant.

"How do you feel about this?" Hermione asked him, feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the question because she still wasn't quite sure how _she_ felt about it. "The idea of being married to me? I know it must have been just as big of a shock for you as it was for me, but well… you've never really liked me."

"I don't think it's a horrible idea," he started slowly. "I think I could definitely do worse." Draco shrugged and then took a deep breath again before finally looking up into her eyes; he didn't see hate or horror etched there, instead she was just watching him curiously. "I might as well just lay it all out there," he started, swiping his hair away from his eyes and taking a steadying breath. "I've always watched you, Hermione and I've never been… unattracted you."

Hermione laughed lightly. "So you're trying to tell me you've always been attracted to me? Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"I know I was a prat in school but you confused the hell out of me until puberty and then after that you interested me, which confused me even more. It's really hard to explain but you were everything opposite of what I'd been told. As we got older you got cuter and I started paying more attention to how smart you were and instead of being jealous about it I was intrigued. Once I got home after graduation and learned what you really meant to our side my mind went wild with possibilities, and _never fucking_ repeat that because I've never told a soul, but I dismissed them immediately – I obviously never thought you'd come to our side. All I was banking on was being able to avoid you in the battlefields because I knew I'd never be able to harm you. I'm being completely honest with you when I say I don't think being married to each other is going to be horrible – in fact, I'm wagering it will be… good."

"Well, if you ask me like a proper gentleman then things would probably turn out alright for you," she said, finding that she believed the words he'd just said. They sounded ridiculous but when teamed with his shy smile, slightly flushed cheeks and eyes that wouldn't focus on her for fear of rejection they became incredibly sincere. Hermione smiled at him deviously and fluttered her eyelashes in a parody of all the women she'd seen on her parents' telly when she was younger, trying to take the edge off.

Draco grinned, caught off guard by her joking manner – this girl would give him a run for his fucking money. She was witty, funny, passionate, smart and powerful. Beautiful. Lord, what was he getting into? He dropped out of his chair in front of her, one knee on the floor and the other in the air, feeling absolutely fucking ridiculous – he'd planned for this but he hadn't exactly thought it through and this part of the ritual made him feel stupid.

"Will you, Hermione Granger, agree to be my wife?" he asked, and even though he already knew she'd say yes he couldn't help but to feel nervous, he was pretty sure his hand holding the ring box out was shaking so hard he'd drop it.

"That's it?" she asked, smiling at him widely with sparkling eyes.

"I'm not a great romantic," he admitted, his voice shaking. He cleared his throat in an attempt to school his nerves and he shifted slightly because his knee was starting to hurt. Maybe there was a small pebble on the floor, he thought disjointedly.

"I will," she answered, letting out a breath as she sealed her future. Draco grinned again and his face lit up before he leaned forward before he slipped the ring on her finger quickly.

Fuck he was gorgeous.

Hermione inspected the emerald on her finger – it was large but not tacky and surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds. She could clearly see the Malfoy family crest engraved into the band, even though it was tiny – it was really just an elaborate, curving M. There were no words and she was glad because if there were to be she had to assume it would be something about blood purity – she'd feel awfully hypocritical if she were to wear something like that.

"How awkward is this going to be?" she asked, loving the way her fingers looked longer now that there was a ring settled on the important one.

"It doesn't have to be awkward, Hermione. I mean sure it will take some getting used to but I don't think it needs to be uncomfortable or anything. We take things slow and let it work itself out over time."

"Slow. Yeah. I mean other than the fact that our wedding will be taking place in five fucking months."

"We can learn a lot about each other in five months, Hermione. It'll be fine."

"You're right. We can. Does this mean you're going to start taking it easier on me in the gym?" she asked, smiling at him again as he stood up and took her hand to help her to her feet. He didn't drop her hand right away and she looked up at him in question. His silver eyes were smouldering at her as something in his chest tightened slightly – she was wearing his ring and it made him feel incredible. He was going to marry this woman and spend the rest of his life with her, but he wasn't scared.

"Not a chance," he whispered, ducking his head and pressing his lips to hers lightly.

Hermione's eyes widened for a moment before they slammed shut and she returned the pressure – his lips were soft and warm on hers and she felt the butterflies in her stomach burst to life with new vigour. Draco pulled away before it got too heated and looked down at her with a soft expression and worry in his eyes.

"I hope that was okay," he said nervously.

Hermione smiled at him and understood – he was concerned about her state of mind about such things after what she had been through and she felt her heart twinge strangely in her chest.

"If it wasn't I wouldn't have kissed you back but thank you for thinking about such things…"

"I don't want to pressure you or make you uncomfortable by doing something you're not prepared for."

"Let's just… can we please just take it slow," Hermione suggested, incredibly touched by the man in front of her – he was nothing like she'd expected. He'd been nothing but truthful with her and he was worried about her constantly, even though he was hard on her in the gym she knew it was because he wanted her to be able to protect herself and fight accordingly in any future battles.

"We should get back to the party," he said quietly, and then louder, "I'm sure they'll have noticed our presence missing and I wouldn't want anyone to think anything untoward has been going on here."

"Do we announce this?" she asked, gesturing to the new ring on her finger as they were leaving the room as she was struck by the fact that she had two new life-changing adornments on the left side of her body.

"No, I don't think so. If people notice, they notice, but we don't need to make it a huge deal. Well, unless you want to make it a huge deal, but I think you've probably been the center of attention long enough for your liking today."

"Definitely," she agreed, taking his hand almost shyly as they made their way back down to the ballroom.

/

Pansy Parkinson had been looking around the ballroom for at least twenty five minutes and she was still unable to find Draco. She wanted to speak to him – she knew if she just talked to him calmly she could change his mind about their future together. She just needed to remind him how great of a time they had in bed, how they understood what the other was thinking by just a look in the eyes or a tilt of the head. She wanted to remind him that they'd been friends since before she could remember and fucking since she was fifteen.

She was very persuasive – not to mention the skimpy lingerie she had on underneath her dress. Draco was very receptive to such things.

There was a sudden commotion by the door that drew her attention and she saw the blond head of her former beau enter the room, tugging on the hand of that filthy mudblooded bitch he'd been dragging around all night. She'd need to put a stop to that.

Draco's ridiculous friends and 'men' as he always referred to them as were suddenly surrounding them, giving the mudblood hugs and clapping Draco on the back. He looked thrilled and accepted their gratitude for whatever it was he'd done happily, the little piece of trash by his side looked decidedly embarrassed and she extracted herself from the group quickly. Pansy followed her progress with her eyes and realized she was going to talk to the blood traitor Weasley girl who was deep in conversation with the Indian from Ravenclaw – whatever-her-name-was – but her eyes narrowed even more when Narcissa Malfoy stepped up to the filth.

The matriarch of the family she had desperately wanted to join was gushing over something in the mudbloods hand and Pansy had to repress a grimace when Lady Malfoy pulled the girl into a tight hug, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. The girl said something that made Lady Malfoy smile at before she said something with a simpering laugh and rushed away to her husband and Tom Riddle.

Pansy looked back at Draco and realized that he was still talking to his friends but that had never stopped her before. She marched over to him, threading her way through the crowded dance floor and not even apologizing when she almost knocked someone over.

He saw her coming and said something quietly that caused his 'men' to turn toward her with questioning looks.

"We need to talk," she said, her eyes telling him it would be in his best interest agree easily. He shot a somewhat guilty look over her head and then looked to his friends.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he told them meaningfully, and a small flare of hope blossomed in her chest – maybe that was his way of telling them he'd be busy and to stay away for a while.

"Are you sure?" Blaise asked, surprised.

"I'm sure," Draco answered seriously, turning his back on the group and leaving the ballroom with his long, silent strides.

Pansy smirked at the group of boys before hurrying after her love.

/

" _Ginny fucking Weasley,_ " Hermione stated boldly from behind the red-headed girl, who cringed the second she recognized the voice.

"I'll just let you two speak for a few," Padma said graciously. "It's so lovely to see you here, Hermione."

"Thank you, Padma – I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Hermione," Ginny said nervously, turning to her and looking like she wanted to go in for a hug before she thought twice about it.

"How? I mean what are you doing here?! What happened?"

"Harry happened," Ginny said darkly, her eyes dimming. "He is not who he was when he graduated from Hogwarts – something's different about him, Hermione and he doesn't care about what's right anymore. You know that."

"I do," Hermione answered, still shocked to see the girl in front of her. "You're still a part of the Order, though?"

"Yes – I spy for Tom. They'd never suspect me, Hermione, I come from a long line of blood traitors and every single family member I have are part of the Order – plus I'm just a girl, why would they expect me to do anything they'd disagree with?"

"Oh my God, Ginny. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you here!"

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, looking concerned. "Ron fought your accusations when Harry brought it up a couple weeks ago and obviously everyone believed him. I didn't, though. I know exactly what both of those men are like."

"I'm alright. Draco and his men found me and healed me as best as they could. My hand is fucked, but it probably always will be," Hermione answered, lifting her scarred hand into the air, her palm facing Ginny.

"Oh my God, Hermione, what is that?!"

"It's just a scar but the healers think I'll have it forever."

"I mean that!" Ginny said, gesturing to the ring on Hermione's finger. The girls' cheeks reddened immediately and she bit her lip in nervousness as Ginny clasped her hand in both of her own and pulled it closer to her so she could inspect the jewellery better.

"It's, uh, well, it's an engagement ring."

"Oh my God, Draco Malfoy?" Ginny said, gesturing to the M. "You lucky fucking bitch."

Hermione laughed nervously while pulling her hand gently from Ginny's, who looked at her in question. "You were just squeezing it a bit – sometimes it hurts still, especially when I'm hot. Draco's researching ways to make it stop."

"What did he do to it?" Ginny asked, looking sad. "No one mentioned anything about your hand."

"He shot a _Diffindo_ at me when I was trying to get away and I put my hand out to stop it, which was obviously one of the dumbest things I ever could have done."

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I knew about everything since I graduated Hogwarts and started living at Grimmauld place full time, but whenever I'd try and tell them that you needed to know the truth they'd hurt me. I've been with Tom for a few months now and I just want you to know this so I can get it off my chest. I saw you go into the library one day and staged a conversation with Harry and Ron just inside the doors so you'd 'accidentally' hear everything and be able to make your own choices about the future."

"That was on purpose?!"

"Yes, I couldn't think of any way to tell you – Harry had made me take an oath that I wouldn't inform you about anything, but since you overheard us I didn't break it."

"Ginny that was so brave! I heard everything and fuck I was so angry. That's when I decided to leave."

"I wasn't trying to push you in either direction, I just wanted you to know that not everything was as it seemed."

"Even if I hadn't heard that… when Ron did what he did I still would have left."

"Understandable. I'm so sorry. If I had told you sooner… maybe you would have left before anything could have happened."

"Don't think like that," Hermione admonished. "It's no one's fault but Ron's. Enough about that, though, tell me what you're doing here."

"I'm here for your marking ceremony," Ginny said cheekily, oddly reminiscent of Blaise's answer at dinner the night before. "Seriously, though, I couldn't take it anymore. Harry and Dumbledore, and as much as I hate to say it, mostly everyone in the Order these days, are just… wrong. They aren't good people and I needed to do something to better the world. I manage to sneak out by saying I'm going to spend some time alone in my room, but I can't do it too often or it'll be obvious – I wouldn't have missed this though."

"Ginny, do me a favour – when they find out about my engagement, or marriage depending on when they hear – please, please send me those fucking memories."

"No problem," Ginny said, smiling knowingly. Her smile slid off of her face though and Hermione turned to see Greg approaching them.

"Hermione I think you should come with me… Draco's been speaking with Pansy for a while and he's beginning to yell but I think he'll be pissed if anyone else enters the room. Maybe you could get him out of there without him blowing up."

"Oh for fuck… alright, I'm coming. Sorry, Ginny but I should go deal with this. Pansy is nothing if not persistent and Draco really doesn't have the patience for her."

"Is that Goyle?!"

"Greg, yes."

"He's… wow, he's different and not what I was expecting at all."

Hermione smiled, "I'll see you soon?"

"As soon as I can get away again because I should probably be getting back before they realize I'm gone – I'm trying to figure out exactly which Horcruxes they know about but everyone's being so goddamned tight lipped these days. See you, Hermione!"

Hermione smiled and waved as Ginny approached Tom before she turned and followed Greg, going to save her fiancé from the clutches of the evil Pansy Parkinson.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- My Word went kind of funky for this chapter so if it's spaced weird then I'm sorry. This chapter has not made it to my beta so any mistakes are definitely my own. Big thanks to Strotz and KomeKozzy425 for being awesome as ef!**

 **Chapter Eight**

Draco looked over Theo's head and could see Pansy approaching, a look of determination on her face as she almost bowled people over in her haste to get to him.

He realized then and there that he'd just have to fucking suck it up and tell her the truth. If he didn't she'd never understand that he truly didn't want anything to do with her anymore - she had to realize that there was a bigger picture to the lives they were leading.

"I need to talk to you," she said, her hands on her hips and her lips turned down into a frown.

Draco looked over her head to see Hermione's retreating back and hoped she'd understand that all he wanted to do was get rid of Pansy for once and for all.

"Okay," Draco agreed, his men all turning to him with shock on their faces.

"Are you sure?" Blaise asked, watching him with narrowed eyes. Draco told him that he was and ignored the suspicion etched on Theo's face - and maybe his friend was a little disgusted too. He was team Dramione, after all.

Draco tried to give him a reassuring look before he turned away and motioned for Pansy to follow him from the crowded ballroom. He could hear her rushing behind him and didn't look back, instead he was on the hunt for an empty room that was still close to the party - it wouldn't do to give her, or anyone else, the wrong idea. He found a room and rushed inside, Pansy close on his heels – she slammed the door behind her and turned to Draco, her hands on her hips.

Suddenly she seemed extremely unattractive to him.

"What is it?" Draco asked, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets as he leaned casually against the wall just inside of the door. He wanted this over quickly.

"We need to talk about everything, Draco. It wasn't fair for you to just spring this break up on me out of nowhere. Think of all the good times we've had together! Are you honestly just willing to throw that away?"

Draco sighed, he really should have realized it would never have been that easy to get rid of the raven haired witch in front of him.

"Pansy, I need you to understand two things. We were never really dating in the first place and we do not have a future together. I'm sorry if that hurts you but it's just the way it is - didn't you realize when our eighteenth birthdays went by and you didn't have a ring on your finger that it wasn't going anywhere serious? We're both pureblood and would have been expected to marry right out of Hogwarts and you know that just as well as I do. I know we've had some good times and have known each other all of our lives but that isn't something I'm determined to cling to. I'm sorry."

Pansy looked hurt for a moment before she got a new gleam in her eye – one that told Draco she had something downright devious planned and that he wouldn't appreciate it.

"And what about this?" She asked, and Draco was appalled to see that she was slowly unbuttoning the dress she was wearing.

"No," he said, moving forward to stop her hands. "I'm not interested, Pansy."

She forced his hands away and grabbed onto her dress on both sides of the buttons before ripping it apart, sending buttons in every direction. She was wearing a see-through teddy beneath her dress that only covered her nipples and a small lacy thong. Draco backed away quickly.

"Goddammit, put your clothes back on!"

"Draco," she said, her voice low and purring in an attempt to sound sexy. "We both know you don't want that. You love when I wear these things – it kick-starts your arousal and we always have the best sex on those nights. I know you're confused and things are changing but that doesn't mean we need to change too."

Draco watched as Pansy put her index finger into her mouth and smeared her lipstick slightly, entranced suddenly by the things happening in front of him. She ran a hand down her stomach lightly, her fingers just grazing the fabric of the small see-through teddy. Maybe Pansy was right – it would be a hell of a lot easier for him to continue what he had going with her instead of re-starting a whole new relationship with a bossy, proud and damaged girl. Hermione had so much going on and he wasn't sure when he'd be able to have any of this type of fun with her… definitely not in the near future. She'd had way too much happen in the past weeks for her to be comfortable with anything of this magnitude.

Hermione.

Draco jerked back to his senses rudely and almost slapped himself when he realized he'd moved closer to Pansy and his own hand was settled on the curve of her hip, gripping it tightly.

"No," he said almost calmly, ripping his hand away and pushing her back a little at the same instant.

"Come on, Draco, I can see it in your eyes. You want this!" Pansy leaned down in the pretense of fixing something on her shoe, her legs straight and bent at the waist, giving Draco a very good view of not only her breasts, but her long legs as well.

"I don't, Pansy. I don't want this and I don't want you. There are things happening here that you don't understand and in the midst of it all I want to be happy, this is going to sound incredibly rude but I would never be happy with you and I don't think you'd be happy with me either. I expect a faithful wife and we both know you wouldn't want that."

Pansy seemed to deflate suddenly. She picked up her wand off the side table by the door and waved it almost listlessly, summoning her dress – she pulled it on quickly and repaired the buttons. Draco thought he'd made his point and was getting ready to turn and leave, but that was when she chose to drop her bombshell.

"I didn't want to tell you this way, Draco, but I think you should know that I'm pregnant."

He stilled, his life flashing before his eyes as he realized that if that information was true he'd be royally fucked.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice dangerously low as he turned away from the door and back toward the dark-haired witch.

"I told you that I'm pregnant – a few months along already. I've been wanting to tell you but couldn't find the right time. I was hoping to set the mood tonight and make you realize that everything with me would be perfect before I let you know."

"You wouldn't be lying to me, by any chance, would you Pansy?" Draco questioned, instantly suspicious.

"Of course not!" she said, scandalized that he'd feel that way.

"Well, if I do recall, not fifteen minutes ago I saw you with a flute of champagne. Why would you feel it necessary to harm the child?"

Pansy floundered for a second.

"And why," Draco started, his voice rising, "Would I automatically assume that if you were with child, which I highly fucking doubt, that it would be mine?!"

"I haven't had sex with anyone else in…"

"In what, Pansy? Days? Because the correct answer certainly isn't months!"

Pansy looked a little contrite, but she also had a steely determination in her eyes that Draco recognized – she'd play the farce until she'd been proven wrong by fact, not assumptions.

"Well luckily for us both, I happen to know the spell that reveals if a witch is with child."

Pansy backed away as Draco neared her, his wand clenched in his hand tightly.

"I was going to inform your mum tonight," Pansy said suddenly, as if telling him that would change his mind to check for himself. "But she was busy fawning over that stupid mudblood bitch."

"Watch your mouth," Draco snapped, not in the mood to listen to slurs against his fiancée – secret be damned.

"Oh, come on, Draco – you've called her much worse and even wished her dead at times."

"Things change!" he snarled loudly, annoyed that his past had been brought up.

"These things don't! Blood is blood, Draco, and hers will be dirty and fucking disgusting for ever, no matter what!"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" he almost screamed, not amused one little bit by Pansy's ploy to divert his attention. "Puer Revelare!" he hissed, his wand pointed at Pansy – who went white as a sheet and continued to back away. Draco waited five seconds, ten, and when nothing happened he felt a red hot rage take over him.

"How fucking dare you?!" he screamed, completely out of control now. "How dare you come into my home, into my fiancée's fucking party and marking ceremony and try to tell me that you're pregnant with my child!? I was suspicious by your motives and apparently I had good right! I knew you were this type of witch, the liar and the manipulator, and now I'm more than happy to wash my hands of you!"

"What?!" Pansy yelled back, her face red with her anger. "What the fuck do you mean, your fiancée?!"

"Yes," he said, his anger dying down as Hermione's face flashed before his eyes. "I broke it off with you because I was starting a relationship with someone else – someone I knew I'd be happy with. We got engaged only a short while ago."

Visions of Draco entering the ballroom holding Hermione's hand suddenly flooded Pansy's vision and it was her turn to be pissed.

"You're marrying that mudblood, Granger?! I wasn't good enough for you but somehow she is?!"

"If you say that fucking word one more time I will not be held accountable for my actions."

The way Draco said those words stopped Pansy in her tracks – he said them so coldly and so seriously that she was reminded she was standing in front of a Death Eater who led his own troupe and was, for lack of a better choice of words – extremely dangerous.

"Hermione is ten times the witch, and woman, than you'll ever be."

The door opened behind Draco and he spun around, shocked to see the woman he'd just been speaking about standing in the threshold.

"Everything alright here?" She asked politely, taking in the situation in the room. Pansy was cowering slightly and Draco was gripping his wand tightly in his hand while he stood as tall as he possibly could; something negative had obviously occurred between the two. "People were starting to get concerned about the yelling."

"Everything's fine," Draco said, approaching her quickly and taking her hand in his, almost shielding her from Pansy.

"All I ever wanted was you, Draco," Pansy said sadly from behind him. He turned to her, keeping Hermione behind him, and stared at Pansy for a moment.

What a crock of shit.

"All you ever wanted was my fortune," Draco corrected, turning back to his fiancée and ushering her through the door ahead of him.

Pansy sniffled in a moment of despair until her eyes met Hermione's, a new plan forming in her mind.

/

"What was all that about?" Hermione asked, leaving the room ahead of Draco and turning to look back inside before he'd managed to close it all the way.

Pansy was standing inside watching Hermione with a mischievous gleam in her eye - something that made the brunette extremely uncomfortable. It looked like the dark haired bint was planning something incredibly heinous, but when Draco turned to the room for one last look Pansy's face morphed into a lovesick look.

"She just doesn't get it," Draco said, closing the door with a snap and leading Hermione back to the ballroom.

"I'm honestly ready for bed," Hermione said, halting their progress. "It's been a long day and so much has happened, I'm ready for a bath and bed."

Hermione wasn't feeling overly threatened by Pansy's weak attempts at stealing Draco away... Especially since the marriage had been requested by Tom Riddle – she was sure Draco wasn't about to fuck that all up.

"Do you want me to escort you?" He asked her. She almost laughed but managed to reign it in, she'd really have to get used to the doting part of the pureblood personality even though she wasn't sure Draco realized that's what he was doing. It was all so natural and normal to him that he did it all out of habit and nothing more.

"I can find my room, Draco, but thank you for the offer. I'm sure the men are all waiting to hear what happened in there. Something I myself would also love to hear, but at another time, I'm exhausted."

"Well... Have a good sleep, then," Draco said a little awkwardly, wondering how exactly things were going to progress with them.

Hermione surprised him by lifting herself up on her toes quickly and giving him a small peck on the lips. His arms went around her waist and trapped her against his body immediately and when she went to lean away from his lips he pushed them into hers more insistently but didn't try to turn it into anything more.

"Don't be concerned about her, Hermione. That's my ring on your finger and it won't be coming off."

"I'm not concerned about it at all," she said, smiling softly before turning away from him and walking down the long hallway. Hermione knew she could take the bimbo no problem, and probably without a wand to boot.

Draco watched her go with a fond smile on his face.

/

Hermione was getting out of the shower when she heard the trollop in her bedroom, bashing things around loudly. She knew there was no one else in the house that would let themselves into her personal space with a raging vendetta.

"Fucking bitch," Hermione said under her breath, throwing on a large terry cloth bathrobe and pushing through the bathroom door. Steam poured out and dissipated as Hermione took in her completely destroyed bedroom and the dark haired witch standing in the midst of it all, shocked at being caught.

Pansy hadn't expected Hermione to shower so quickly and she was so caught up in the injustice her life had taken and the mudblood whore who had taken everything good from her that she hadn't heard the shower turn off. The blood had been pounding in her ears much too loud for her to hear anything at all.

The filth was saying something, her lips moving wordlessly as her face reddened. She went for her wand and Pansy took that as her cue to leave, turning on her heel and running away as quickly as she could in her shoes.

"You fucking bitch!" Hermione exclaimed, looking around and seeing that literally everything she owned had been destroyed. Her clothes had been pulled ruthlessly from her trunk and were ripped to shreds. Her bed and pillows had either been exploded or stabbed violently, feathers had blown from the offending objects and landed on every flat surface in the room. Every piece of costume jewellery she owned was crushed as though Pansy had stomped on them - they were mangled and twisted on the floor. Hermione spotted the beautiful dress she'd worn that night pinned to the wall with a sticking charm, "whore" was scrawled across it in shaky, disjointed writing in the same hue of lipstick that Narcissa had bought for her to wear that night.

Thank God the Malfoy family ring was still nestled snugly around Hermione's ring finger.

"You stupid fucking bitch!" Hermione screamed, her hand automatically going to clasp her wand from the wrist holster it was usually settled in. Then she remembered she was standing there in a robe and had just got out of the shower.

Pansy had turned on her heel and scarpered before Hermione made sense of that fact. Hermione ran into the bathroom and grabbed her wand roughly, turning to give chase to the jealous piece of shit who'd ruined everything she owned. She slipped on the blanket of feathers on the floor and went down on one knee beside her jewellery - that's when she saw it and realized the implications of having everything she'd owned destroyed.

Her father had given her a ring when she was younger that held Hermione's, her mother's and her father's birthstones. They were all nestled into a sterling band that had fit her when she was twelve - she'd received the ring right before she had left to start her magical schooling in Scotland.

When she had outgrown the ring she put it on a white gold chain she had bought on a trip to Hogsmeade and wore the ring/chain combination often - more often now that her parents were so far away and unaware of her existence. It was the only thing she had of them other than her memories and now it was completely destroyed and irreparable. Magic probably wouldn't even be able to fix the mess that was now her bedroom.

A sob tore from her throat as she laid her eyes on it and she dropped her other knee to the floor as she scooped it up in both hands, tears blurring her vision and chasing Pansy completely from her mind for the moment.

The bitch was probably long gone, anyway.

/

Draco returned to his friends and let them in on everything that had happened when he'd followed Pansy from the room. Well, he left out his split second of indecision, but they didn't need to know about his weak moment. What man wouldn't get confused for a moment?

He excused himself from their company after twenty or so minutes, taking Hermione's idea to go to bed. It really had been a _long fucking day_.

He was just leaving the ballroom when Pansy went tearing through the hall, heading for the front entrance as though there were hell hounds on her heels. He watched her pass with a raised eyebrow but continued on his way happily. He felt almost carefree and the fact that he was an engaged man now was shockingly less frightening then he thought it would be.

He entered the corridor to his bedroom when he heard the low sobbing coming from the door farther down the hall from his. Hermione's room.

The hairs on his neck stood on end immediately and his stomach clenched for a second.

"Hermione?" He asked quietly, turning the corner of her bedroom doorway before stopping dead in his tracks.

"Holy shit," he breathed, then saw her on her knees in a bathrobe. Her hair was damp and straggly and it covered her face from his view, but her broken sobbing tore through him and he moved forward immediately, his hands going to her shoulders.

"What the fuck happened?!" He asked, anger lacing his tone. He noticed she was clutching a small ring on a chain in her dainty hands for dear life and he knew it was Pansy. Of course. He'd never seen that bitch run once in her entire life.

"Let's go," he said, taking her beneath the arms and helping her to her feet. She clung to him and his heart twinged in his chest as she sobbed brokenly. He'd never seen her like this. She wasn't even this bad when they'd found her in the forest. She didn't ask any questions and allowed him to lead her to his own bedroom, where he forced her into a chair by his fireplace and called for his own house elf - Tiptop.

"Please fetch Master Lucius, Master Tom and Mistress Narcissa, but bring Mistress Hermione a cup of tea first."

The small elf nodded and disappeared and Draco pulled off his tie, removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves before sitting before Hermione on his knees. She was gaining control of herself now, but still totally upset.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked her as she scrubbed her cheeks with the sleeve of her robe.

"That fucking bitch will pay for this," Hermione said, holding out her hand. He could see a small ring that had no stones in the settings and it had been twisted so it didn't even resemble a ring anymore. The chain had been snapped in two spots and really wasn't a chain at all.

"What is it?" He asked, prodding it with his index finger.

"A ring my father gave to me when I was accepted to Hogwarts. It had all of our birthstones in it and is all I have left of that life. My parents are gone, Draco, and might not ever remember they have a daughter. This was all I had left of them."

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Draco said, and he was. He knew by looking at the ring that it was never to be fixed - and even if it was it still wouldn't be the same. It was pretty much his fault this had happened, if he'd been more tactful with Pansy then she probably wouldn't have lashed out. Well, maybe.

Tiptop appeared with a tray that held tea and biscuits and he laid it on the small coffee table in front of his Master before leaving again to find the people he'd been told to.

"I'll be right back," Draco said, getting to his feet and pushing a cup of tea into Hermione's small hands. He left his bedroom and went back to hers, looking for a brush. Her hair was drying and he could only imagine the disaster it would be if it dried completely before it was brushed.

When he was back in her room he really inspected it. Everything outside the bathroom was utterly destroyed. She'd need an entire new wardrobe now - there was really only so much magic could do. He felt a new rage he'd never been accustomed to before and recognized it as protectiveness. That fucking whore would pay for doing this to his betrothed, she would pay, pay, _pay!_

Hermione had done nothing wrong and hadn't done anything to deserve such foul treatment from a do nothing bitch with a chip on her shoulder and a fortune in her dreams.

He found her hairbrush in the bathroom and left again immediately - being in the room did nothing but piss him off.

He went back to Hermione, who hadn't moved but to take small sips from her teacup and rounded the chair. He collected her hair started to slowly brush it, startling her out her silence.

"Draco, you don't have to do that."

"It can't dry like this! It'll be horrendous to deal with if it does and I really don't mind."

Before she could object again his parents and Tom entered the room, they all stopped once inside and looked more than a little bit confused to see Draco – a troupe leader of Death Eaters brushing his new fiancé's hair.

"Would you care to inform us why Tiptop barged into our conversations at the party and insisted we come upstairs immediately?" His mother asked, one delicate eyebrow raised. She was nothing if not consistently concerned about making good impressions and behaving a certain way.

Draco placed the brush in Hermione's hand and said, "This will only take a moment, but there's something you need to see. Wait here, please, Hermione. You don't need to see it again."

Draco led his parents and Tom the short way to Hermione's room and gestured toward the door. They all entered and gasped simultaneously.

"Who would do this?" Narcissa asked, clearly upset as she pointed at the black dress Hermione had been wearing not even an hour earlier.

"Pansy," Draco said darkly.

"I will be speaking to Alan immediately about this," Lucius stated in a tight voice, angry and upset in behalf of his son and his fiancé.

"Maybe I should do the honours, Lucius," Tom said darkly, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Draco grinned.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- My beta hasn't looked at this and if I'm to be completely truthful I haven't looked it over either. I had such a great response to my last chapter that I really wanted to get this out before I left for work this morning. I meant to get it posted yesterday but I had some serious ocular migraine issues so obviously looking at a laptop is the last thing I wanted to do!**

 **I'm going to post the links at the bottom of this chapter into my profile because I honestly have shit luck posting links on this site, but I really want everyone to be able to see what I've visualized!**

 **Thanks to Strotz and KomeKozzy425 for being super awesome and patient with me throughout this entire process.**

 **Chapter Nine**

"Here are some more parcels, dear," Narcissa said, coming into Hermione's bedroom with parcels of clothes levitating in front of her. Alan Parkinson was paying to have everything of Hermione's replaced and even though the clothes weren't the same they were actually much better and of higher value than the ones his daughter had destroyed in a jealous rage.

Tom had had words with the man the same night that the destruction took place. Needless to say Mr. Parkinson was going out of his way to ensure Tom and the entire Malfoy family that there was no ill will for Draco's engagement to the Muggleborn witch and the man was desperately trying to ensure he wouldn't drop in rank because of his daughter's mindless actions. Draco had informed her that Tom was indeed angry and had done more than just speak to the man, but she didn't want to know the details about what had befallen him.

"Hopefully my training gear is in there," Hermione said, walking to her new bed where Narcissa had dropped the parcels and began opening them. "Draco's getting really pissed about the fact that I haven't had the proper things to train in. He keeps whining about me not having to wear the boots."

"These?" Narcissa asked, opening a parcel that contained all black clothes.

"Yes!" Hermione said, ripping the clothes out of the nondescript paper and hugging them to her chest.

"Tom should be back tomorrow," Narcissa said, "He's really chomping at the bit to hear everything about the Order of the Phoenix."

He'd been gone for two weeks collecting the pieces of his soul that he'd hidden many, many years ago. Lucius had the stroke of genius and they had made fake horcruxes, replacing all the real ones so that the Order were under the impression they'd actually killed them off. If they ever found them, that was. Hermione was to meet with him the next morning and go over everything, but she'd requested Draco join her in the study with their leader – he helped her nerves calm down when Tom was around because the man was so invested in Draco's life. She was nervous but it needed to be done – the Order needed to be stopped.

"Has he found all of his horcruxes?"

"I haven't heard from either him or Lucius since they left, but I'm sure everything's going smoothly."

"Narcissa?" Hermione asked in a somewhat timid voice. It wasn't lost on the woman before her and she turned to Hermione to give the girl her full attention.

"Do you think Tom would be okay with going to get my parents from Australia? They don't have to stay here or anything but I really would prefer for them to be moved somewhere close, just so I know they're safe. The Order knows about their whereabouts and it's making me really fucking nervous."

"Language, dear."

"Sorry."

"I'm sure if you talk to him and explain everything he'll be happy to assist you. He wants you to be happy here, Hermione, and I know how much you've missed them. Especially with the whole ring incident."

"I miss them… and I'd really love if they were able to attend my wedding. I want to lift my memory charm and just make sure they understand how fu… how important it is for them to be kept hidden and how important it is for me to fight in this war. I think they'll understand and I was a bit hasty before."

"I know you miss them, dear," Narcissa said, ignoring Hermione's slip up. The older witch knew for a fact that Hermione still spoke like an old man when she was out of ear shot, but she appreciated the effort the girl was putting in to cleaning up her mouth when she was around.

Hermione turned back to her parcels and continued ripping them open to reveal her new clothes – with Narcissa's help it only took a few minutes to get everything opened put away in her closet.

"That should be the last of it," Hermione said, glad to cut any affiliation with the Parkinson family other than the fact that they were fighting for the same side.

"Will I see any of you for lunch or will you all be locked up in that blasted gym again all day?"

"I doubt you'll see us before dinner. Draco said he had a surprise for me and I sincerely hope it's what I think it is."

"Well, I guess I'll see you later then."

"Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it."

"Don't be silly, dear."

/

Hermione entered the gym feeling a lot better about herself than she'd been a month previously, but she still had a ridiculous amount of work to do before she was anywhere near Draco's, and probably Tom's, standards. They constantly drove home the fact that they wanted her to be able to defend herself no matter the circumstance and she sincerely didn't want to let her fiancé down. He wouldn't be able to constantly watch her on the battlefield – he'd end up hurt or worse if he had to do that and she wouldn't allow it to happen. She didn't want any of the men on the squad to end up hurt because of her so she was determined to be the best she could be.

Her physical strength had taken huge leaps and bounds compared to when she first arrived and she could run like she was a completely different person. She could do five laps without gasping for breath instead of doing three and thinking she'd die.

The first thing Hermione noticed upon entering the gym was that all five men were lounging around, almost like they were waiting for her. Draco approached her immediately and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before saying, "Thank fuck you've finally got your training gear back."

"I knew you'd be pleased," she said, throwing him a happy smile as he took her hand and led her towards their friends. "What's going on? I don't think I've ever entered the gym to see you guys sitting around doing nothing."

"The time has come, Hermione," Blaise answered, grinning at her.

"The time?! Are you guys finally going to show me your alternative weapons?!" Hermione asked, excited. She felt like she'd been patient enough, and for whatever reason the men were enjoying withholding it from her.

The five men shared a look between themselves and Hermione could tell that Vince was amused by the way his eyes were shining at her – they were probably excited to show off.

"What were you thinking of for your alternative?" Greg asked without answering her question. At least the topic was the one she wanted to be on – weaponry training.

"Knives," she said, not feeling even a shred of indecency for saying it; in fact, her eyes had taken on a slightly sadistic look, but she seemed to be embracing it.

Draco's eyes widened momentarily before they took on an almost dreamy look; his hands went flat against his legs and he unconsciously straightened his spine, standing taller than he usually did. There was something about girls with knives that Draco couldn't pass up. His mouth felt unusually dry as he stared at Hermione as though he had never clearly seen her before.

Blaise grinned when he noticed the change in his friend's demeanor. Draco was probably getting a hard on just thinking about it – he'd always tried to convince someone to use knives but none of the men were interested in them. Of course – _of fucking course_ – it would have to be Hermione who'd be the one to use them.

"Go pick one up," Draco said, his voice a little rougher than usual.

Hermione gave him a strange look and approached the board, choosing a small black and steel knife that fit in her hand perfectly and felt like it belonged there. She looked at it closely, taking in the shape and design; there were holes throughout the grip and she inspected them intently. She wanted to know this knife.

"That's a throwing knife," he said, approaching her and picking its perfect match from the board, "These holes here," he said, running his finger along the handle, "are to take away weight from this side so that when you throw it it'll rotate consistently."

"That's important?" she asked, already itching to throw it.

"Yes," he said, smiling at her with that bright, true smile she doubted anyone outside this room, barring his parents, had ever seen before. Her breath hitched and Draco's eyes met hers, pulling her in, "very much so," he said, and then cleared his throat and broke eye contact. He turned to Blaise, who was grinning at the two of them and said "Can you please get the targets?"

Blaise held out his hand and targets levitated from the walls into the middle of the room, boards attached themselves to the paper bullseyes and they were planted firmly on the floor.

"Throw," Draco demanded.

Hermione inspected the knife in her hand for a moment before getting a good hold on it, her thumb was directly in the middle of the handle and her pointer, middle and ring fingers were dead center on the opposite side of the grip. Hermione walked a little closer to the target until she was about fifteen feet away and instinctively turned her body slightly so that her left shoulder faced the target, her knife in her right hand. She took a deep breath to steady herself and focus on what she was about to do, drowning out any other noise in the room as her vision narrowed to just the target in front of her. While breathing out she took a lunging step, almost like she was pitching a baseball in the muggle world except she stepped about forty five degrees and whipped her arm forward, releasing the knife once her arm was extended.

It hit dead center in the bullseye and stuck into the wood after doing a full rotation.

"Holy shit," Theo breathed, everyone was shocked.

Hermione turned around to see everyone staring at her and she couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks. "You're a fucking natural," Draco said, and it looked like he wanted to run forward and kiss her right then and there.

Hermione shrugged, "It wasn't really hard," she said.

"Bullshit," Draco exclaimed, "I've seen so many people try to throw knives and they were only able to hit the outside of the target, never mind get it to stick in the wood. Bullseye too, Merlin."

"Got a hard-on?" Blaise joked, and Draco deflated a bit.

"Shut it," he growled, trying to reel his excitement.

"What?" Hermione asked, stunned by the words Blaise used.

"Draco loves knives," Blaise stated seriously.

"Do you throw them too?" Hermione asked, excited about the prospect of him using the same weapons.

"I do, but not as a secondary."

"What's your secondary then?" she asked curiously.

"Fine, Granger," he said, sounding exasperated, "we've already decided that we would show you all of ours today."

"It's about time," she said, walking by Draco as she ran her fingers across his arm. "I'll just take seat."

"Vince, Greg, why don't you go first?" Draco asked, approaching Hermione and taking a seat at her side – he was oddly excited to see her reaction to everything that was about to happen.

They both grinned and walked to the other side of the room while Blaise walked confidently to a switch on the wall, pressing it eagerly in anticipation of what was going to come. The center of the room, which had previously been spacious and bare, filled with ghostly combat figures that glimmered in the magical light filtering down from the glass ceiling; each figure was equipped with a weapon of their choice. They wore green tattered clothes that may have been used in an ancient army at one point; Hermione was fairly sure she could see old badges on some of their outfits.

Vince and Greg eagerly pushed toward the crowd of ghoulish figures, each carrying a deadly looking flail in their strong hands; their arm muscles bulging with the weight of their weapons. The large iron ball was covered in spikes and the chain about a foot long; the large Death Eaters were wind-milling their weapons in a show of readiness as they entered the area. They were suddenly and swiftly being attacked by the ghostly army figures within the confines of the arena. Vince struck first, catching a figure in the side of his head, immediately decapitating him; Hermione covered her mouth with her hands and pushed forward on the bench, sitting on the very edge of the seat.

Greg was using the force of the spiked ball to take out a series of the semi-translucent warriors at the ankle; once they were laid out Vince began systematically sentencing them to their destinies. Hermione watched in complete and utter awe at the two large men destroying the figures before them and she could no longer question how such a simple, non-magical weapon could aid her team in any sort of battle. The grace and ease that Vince and Greg were showing with such brutally harsh weapons showed her that this was one of the best ideas she had seen for fighting in the war; it would be unexpected but wouldn't render them useless.

Hermione was completely gobsmacked.

"That was fucking amazing!" she squealed, going as far as clapping her hands.

They both looked shy and embarrassed from Hermione's display.

"Blaise?" Draco asked, and Blaise enthusiastically ran for a recurve bow hanging on the wall – Hermione would guess he had been itching to hold it in his hands for days. He strapped a quiver around his waist and filled it with arrows, grinning broadly the entire time.

The whole thing started again, but this time Blaise was shooting arrows so fast he was almost a blur. His hand was grabbing arrows from the quiver on his hip and loading them into his bow faster than Hermione could even think and every arrow hit his target directly in the head. She had no idea how he was managing to load an arrow, pull the string back and aim so efficiently but it was done with such precision that she wouldn't have even noticed he had to go through those mechanics in order to shoot. He had taken out twenty enemies in less than three minutes.

"Christ," Hermione said in awe as the last of the ghost-like figures was taken out, "I had no idea that could be done so quickly."

"Theo?" Draco asked, and Hermione was starting to wonder how she'd ever be as accomplished as the men before her.

Hermione almost laughed as she saw Theo approaching the training area with a stick, but when the arena was activated and he started a mesmerizing act of twists and turns, smashing the stick so hard against the figures heads and torsos that they were immediately dropping in death she didn't find it even a little bit funny. Hermione saw that he was breaking arms and legs with focused hits and once they were incapacitated he was dealing them a death blow. She had never seen anyone do so much damage with nothing but a piece of wood.

"I'm almost worried about what you're going to show me," she said, turning to Draco. He gave her a small smile and chaste kiss on the lips before moving forward, clapping Theo on the back as they crossed paths. Theo took Draco's vacated seat and put his arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"Just you wait," he said, and Blaise snickered from Theo's other side.

Hermione watched as Draco slowly strutted toward the center of the battle arena in the large room. He exuded confidence without cockiness and a calmness that was both endearing and intimidating. She watched closely as he turned slightly toward her and gave her a half smile and a wink, showing off his weapon proudly. Hermione's eyes danced to Draco's weapon and she realized the total devastation it could bring. A scythe, which vaguely reminded her of the weapon of the Grim Reaper, glistened at her; except this particular weapon had two solid metallic blades secured on opposite ends of the pole that was being gripped by Draco's strong hands.

Draco confidently advanced on his training warriors, holding his epic weapon securely and Hermione eagerly watched as he danced around the figures, simply flicking his wrist to behead one ghost while spearing another behind him simultaneously. Everyone watched as the blond man, solid as a rock yet still graceful as he moved around the ghouls, decapitating and stabbing his adversaries to death quicker than anyone would be able to anticipate.

"Damn that feels good," Draco yelled while beheading the last ghostly figure, the arena deactivating when its head hit the floor. Hermione couldn't help but notice how happy he looked at that moment. Maybe they were all a little bit deranged. "We won't be going this long without training our alternatives ever again."

"I don't think you guys need the training," Hermione stated seriously, "that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen, from all of you!"

"We always need the training," Draco said seriously.

"I definitely do, apparently in more areas than I can even keep up with."

"You'll get there," Theo said, clapping her on the back in the same manner Draco had done to him a few minutes previously. The gesture made her feel strangely involved; like she truly did belong with those boys. Draco put his weapon away and approached them, his eyes still dancing.

"I couldn't help but notice we had a fairly easy time tonight, I really think we need to get the arena tweaked so it's harder for us, but still be able to keep it on this setting for Hermione to use."

"I agree," Greg said, "Vince and I fucking destroyed in there tonight."

Hermione stood up, "That shouldn't be that hard," she said, dusting her hands off as she approached the training area. How Draco could have forgot his fiancé was fucking brilliant was beyond him, but she'd fixed the entire system within twenty minutes.

/

"You ready?" Draco asked Hermione from outside her bedroom door. They were on their way to meet with Tom and discuss the Order. He'd barely gotten the words out of his mouth when their marks burned simultaneously.

"Shit!" he said through the miniscule amount of pain, "Let's go then." Draco moved forward and took Hermione's hand in his own, apparating them both to the main hall of the house by touching his wand to his Mark.

They didn't have to go far, but whenever the Dark Mark burned you needed to be immediately available and at the meeting spot to receive your orders. They arrived in the main foyer and was surprised to see Tom pacing, awaiting the ones who'd been summoned.

"Get dressed! We've just received a distress call and need to go," Tom snapped at some of his youngest Death Eaters, gesturing toward the gym and sounding fairly grave.

"Who was it?" Draco asked, his voice shocked.

"Be back here and ready to go in less than five minutes," Tom answered, all five men turned immediately and ran off, Hermione running in their wake

Draco barged into the gym and ran toward a door that Hermione had never noticed before; he ripped it open, throwing out gear and robes frantically and the other men were instantly behind him, putting their gear on quickly and efficiently. Once Theo had his dragon-hide vest and pants on he threw a black robe over top and rushed to another door, passing out their alternative weapons. They were to be taken on every single raid.

Hermione ran forward and shouted, "Where's my dragon hide?" while frantically searching through piles of clothes on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, as he shrunk his scythe and strapped it to his arm in a specialized holster.

"My gear, Draco! Where is it?"

"You don't have any yet. You haven't been cleared."

"I want to come," she argued, "I need to come!"

"You aren't coming," he growled, spinning around and looking down at her, looming over her, really. His eyes were hard and Hermione was reminded of an angry hippogriff guarding its babies; fierce and protective. He suddenly looked menacing and said slowly and quietly, "you haven't been cleared."

"But I-"

"He's right, Hermione, you aren't cleared yet and we have no idea what we'll be walking into," Theo said softly, and she looked around the room to see the other men nodding their heads. They all agreed.

Hermione deflated.

"Please be safe," she said, and thought she sounded like a worried mother but she wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost one more person, even though she'd only been at Malfoy Manor for a month. "Guys?"

"We will," they all assured as they headed back towards the entrance hall.

"Draco!?"

"I'll be safe," he said, leaning down and kissing her quickly on the lips. "I promise."

They all started moving toward the door, their five minutes almost up, and she followed behind them quickly. She was shocked when she entered the entrance hall and saw at least thirty Death Eaters in robes waiting to get to their destination. Hermione could only assume they had been summoned by the Marks on their skin, but she hadn't felt anything at all – Tom must have had a way to summon specific people.

 **A/N- This chapter is shorter than most but I'm cutting it off here anyway because the next one has a lot of action too. Remove the spaces from the links, if they don't work they'll be in my profile as well! Don't forget to review!**

Vincent and Greg's weapon: .ca/search?q= Flail&source=lnms&tbm=isch& sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ59mK kNjJAhUEKGMKHQ5eB30Q_AUI BygB&biw=1600&bih=765#imgrc =Ggg7v6VLLZeoaM%3A

Blaise's weapon: .ca/search?q=cool +recurve+bows&source= lnms&tbm=isch &sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqsPHk wdrJAhVEz2MKHVNDC0gQ_ AUIBygB&biw=1600&bih =765#imgrc=a5X 2trVJctNbuM%3A

Theo's weapon: .ca/search?q=jo +stick&tbm=isch&tbo= u&source= univ&sa=X &ved=0ahUKEwiU6_ uTkdjJAhVOw2MKHQWHDaUQ sAQILw&biw= 1600&bih=765#imgrc =6wcmTIjq2Z6dPM%3A

Draco's weapon: .ca/search?q=double +edged+scythe&tbm= isch&tbo=u&source= univ&sa=X &ved=0ahUKEw jkuJeI3NXJAhVE8mMKHQB6B3oQ sAQIGw&biw=1600&bih=765# imgrc=_tyk2OhPAM6 zhM%3A

Hermione's weapon: .ca/search?q=Throwing+ knives&tbm=isch&tbo=u& source=univ&sa= X&ved=0ahUKE wj-2sTQkdj JAhUJy2MKHRqNCnMQ sAQIJg&biw=1600&bih =765#tbm=isch&q =cool+throwing +knives&imgrc=TPEGpuKhBPet AM%3A


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- Again, this hasn't been looked at by a Beta. As soon as this tax season is over she can start again, so not too much longer now! I hope I don't have a ridiculous amount of mistakes in these chapters but if I do, I'm sorry!**

 **I've almost finished writing this story now, and to be completely honest it's taken an unexpected turn... that being said I absolutely love it! I'm probably pretty biased though :) I'm also at about 113,000 words as of now, which is about 60,000 words more than anything I've ever written before so I'm really hoping it doesn't get boring or shitty for anyone to read. Strotz and Komekozzy425 have both assured me that it's anything but boring but you know us authors, always doubtful and unsure of our own work. Plus they might be a little biased too...**

 **Anyway, Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Ten**

"I've received a distress call from Greengrass Estate, apparently they're being attacked by the Order of the Phoenix in retaliation of being Death Eaters. There have been casualties Justin, so we need your team on the lookout."

Justin Finch-Fletchley nodded grimly before placing his mask on his face – eight or nine witches and wizards surrounded him so they could talk strategy. It was his squad's job to locate bodies and the injured and get them to safety immediately.

"They were attacked ruthlessly!" Tom yelled, riling his crowd up and there were howls of outrage; Hermione couldn't help but to agree and shout out too, the Order were doing awful things, going about everything the wrong way. Why would they feel the need to attack the Greengrass Estate just because they were on opposite sides of the war? As far as Hermione was aware the Greengrasses were about as innocent as they came, for Death Eaters. They barely made an appearance at meetings and definitely didn't join in on raids – Eric Greengrass, Daphne's father, was an important employee of the Ministry and didn't want to be caught doing things that the current minister would frown upon.

"Up to their usual course of action," Blaise said loudly and there were cheers of agreeance from the crowd. Hermione watched as Blaise snapped a mask over his face and she found herself wishing that their masks differed in some way so they could tell each other apart. He patted her on the back once and moved forward towards Tom, the other men copying his actions and following in his wake.

"Please promise you'll be safe," she found herself saying to Draco again, who hadn't put his mask on yet. Worry was churning her stomach and she felt like she wanted to vomit or cry – maybe both.

"We'll be fine," he said quietly, clapping her on the back as the other boys had but holding his hand there a little longer. "We'll let you know when we're back, if we aren't too late."

"Even if it's late, please find me," she said seriously and he met her eyes before fixing his mask into place. He removed his hand and Hermione suddenly felt cold as he moved away from her to join his squad, the men listening attentively to what he was saying. She was impressed with the way he could command them but still remain best friends with them at the same time. It spoke volumes about who he really was as a person, how strong he was.

She blinked and they were gone.

/

Draco materialized at the gates of Greengrass manor, his friends joining him immediately. They moved together as one as other squads of Death Eaters appeared around them and all went in different directions; they had been trained thoroughly and Draco was certain that the Order didn't have different groups within it with specific tasks to perform.

Hopefully Justin and his group could find the casualties and hurt and get them out quickly; it sounded like a huge fight was going on inside.

"This way," he said quietly, but loud enough for his friends to follow him. He followed the sounds of screams and explosions but before they got too far they were intercepted by his fool of a cousin and her werewolf husband. He still thought it was ridiculous that they didn't wear anything to hide their identities.

"Stupefy," Remus Lupin shouted immediately, but Draco dodged the spell with ease and flung his own non-verbal spell in retaliation – he didn't want to speak aloud because he was fairly sure his old teacher and cousin would recognize his voice.

"We want her back," Nymphadora said, her voice low and threatening. "That's all we want."

"Who?" Blaise asked, his voice deeper than it usually was when he spoke.

"Hermione Granger! We know some boys of yours attacked her in the forest before apparating away with her a few weeks ago."

Draco couldn't help the bark of laughter that tore from his throat upon hearing those words but his cousin and her husband obviously took it the wrong way. If only they knew the truth.

"I don't think rape is funny," Tonks said loudly, as Remus threw a spell at Theo. His friend tried to dodge but was hit in the arm, his hiss of pain was loud enough for Draco to hear it clearly and he glanced at his friend quickly to see blood pooling on the floor.

"Incarcerous!" he shouted, wrapping the werewolf in ropes, causing him to immediately fall to the floor with a yell of surprise. Draco was tired of playing games and he quickly made the decision that he didn't care if his cousin recognized him anymore; he turned to her with a steely glint in his grey eyes.

"If you for one moment believe that the Dark Lord would purposely cause harm to someone he wanted on his side then you're more idiotic than I thought."

"We know what happened," she hissed, holding her wand toward him defensively as her husband wriggled on the floor. "We know everything."

"You know nothing!" Blaise screamed, angry at being blamed for raping the girl he considered a close friend. "You're all morons and you're following an old liar and a fool."

"Stupefy!" Greg, who had been hanging back from the argument, bit out harshly, the spell hitting Tonks in the middle of the chest.

"You're all foul," Remus spit from his spot on the floor. "Just bring her back."

"Even if she wanted to go back I wouldn't bring her," Draco said, shrugging carelessly. "She's not interested in joining her rapist in a losing battle. Come on guys," and with that the young Death Eaters turned away from their former teacher and followed the noises to the main fight.

/

Hermione was sitting on the stairs in the entrance hall that led to the second floor and their bedrooms, anxiety and nervousness twisting her guts as she traced the Dark Mark on her arm unconsciously. If they didn't come back safely she would kill them herself for making her worry so much; but she knew she should learn to deal with things like this because it was going to be a common occurrence.

They had only been gone for about fifteen minutes when a group of Death Eaters materialized in the middle of the room, a harsh howling emanating from within them. Hermione jumped to her feet and rushed toward the group, as did figures of more people who were left behind; the group parted as she got closer and what she saw made her want to faint – it was much too familiar, yet so much worse.

Daphne Greengrass was on the floor between them, the loud wailing dying down some; her body was completely ruined and she was covered in blood and burns, like whoever did this had taken a fiery hot poker from a fire and pressed it to her skin. She had numerous stab wounds and one on her stomach was bleeding profusely on the otherwise impeccable marble floor; her face was a mask of blood and bruises and her Dark Mark had been carved out of her forearm ruthlessly. Hermione had to wonder how she had been hurt so drastically in the time between the distress call was issued and now – it had only been about twenty minutes, after all, and Hermione knew that there was no way the bruises covering the girl had formed in such a short amount of time.

"Move," she yelled, whipping out her wand and rushing forward before dropping to her knees beside Daphne and starting to heal her wounds, but there were just too many to for Hermione to deal with and she really didn't have any idea where to start. She hadn't been trained nearly as thoroughly as Draco. She'd only read a few books about it, goddammit! Why hadn't she taken it more seriously?!

Daphne was sobbing uncontrollably and then she suddenly stopped and began rasping out words quickly.

"Get a healer!" Someone screamed, but Hermione leaned closer to hear what the girl was saying. The room went dead silent as everyone pressed in closer to hear the words Daphne was forcing out.

"The Weasleys… been there for weeks… Fred… George… I escaped… called Tom… Astoria," Daphne fought down the hysterical sobs, "Astoria's dead… so are mum and dad… stasis charm on them…" Hermione was listening intently, feeling sick to her stomach. The Weasleys. Apparently the brothers felt the need to ruin many lives before they were happy with their own. "Wanted info… I don't know anything… You must… You must… win…" and then she went completely still.

Hermione's eyes widened as she reached out a hand to the girl, hoping it wasn't true and that she hadn't just watched her die, but when she shook her arm roughly – knowing it would be painful considering her injuries – she didn't move, didn't even blink.

"Oh, Merlin," she said breathlessly, shaking the girl harder. "Daphne!" she screamed, but nothing would bring the girl back since death had already claimed her. Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Justin standing beside her, looking grim and upset as he reached out to take her hand to help her to her feet. She accepted it and stood up slowly, totally shocked by everything that had just occurred.

"I'm sorry," Justin said. "This is a harsh reality of the war, though, and it just shows we need to do everything we can to win this thing."

Hermione nodded and walked away, resuming her position on the stairs and wiping the tears from her eyes quickly so no one would notice how upset she was. Ron hadn't destroyed her nearly as bad as his brothers did the girl she'd just watched die but she felt a strange comradery with her. Hermione had been saved and then she had stayed in the manor to train, keeping herself distanced from the war, but she had been saved quickly enough to live; Daphne hadn't been so lucky. It broke Hermione's heart.

Hermione watched as some healers arrived too late and covered the girls' body with a dark sheet before hovering her toward the fireplace and back to St. Mungo's. Justin got his team back together to go search for the bodies of the Greengrass family, since Daphne had just confirmed that they'd all been murdered.

They apparated away as a team.

Hermione sighed and was suddenly even more worried about her friends and fiancé.

/

Draco and his squad entered a large ballroom where spells and hexes were flying wildly and Draco was shocked to see that Harry Potter was there; he had only seen him in a few other raids over the years. Blaise broke off to the right and Theo followed, still bleeding from the arm but it didn't seem to be bothering him; both men were sending jinxes at their adversaries efficiently and Greg and Vincent's bulky figures could be seen duelling a group of people to the left.

A jet of light missed Draco's ear by an inch and he turned quickly to see Ron Weasley himself running toward him, his face red and his arms pumping with his long strides. Rage took over every sense that Draco possessed and he was shocked by how quickly it had taken over – he wasn't even this mad when he had found Hermione, but it was probably because he hadn't spent even more than a minute of his life in her presence at that point.

He felt something more toward her now and not just because she was his fiancé. He knew that she was ridiculously strong and hated to show anyone even a tiny bit of weakness; she was curious and always wanted to learn and she was one of the bravest women he had ever met. She wanted to learn to throw knives as an alternative weapon and pushed herself to the limit, determined to be the best she could be. Hermione didn't deserve the things this bastard had done to her and before Draco knew it he was in a full on duel with the ginger haired man, shouting curses and hexes that were far worse than any he had used against the Order in a long time.

He truly wouldn't mind killing the man.

Ron was fighting to the death, it seemed, as he threw a 'Sectumsempra' curse that missed Draco's head by mere inches. The blond backed away a little bit and tripped backwards over a piece of the wall, the side of his mask catching on a piece of stone and tearing off of his face. Ron whooped in glee as he realized who was before him and he raised his wand with a menacing look on his face. It was when Draco was scrambling back to his feet that he saw the long brown hair spilling over pieces of concrete and brick, distracted enough to not even realize his mask was missing.

"Astoria," he breathed, looking down, she was almost buried by the pieces of wall, but her upper body was clear of debris and Draco thought she may have been there for quite a while. He completely forgot about Ron as he looked into her empty eyes – death had definitely taken her. He wasn't overly close to the Greengrass family, but their parents were friends so he had seen the two sisters throughout his life since he was a child. They came to meetings sometimes but they weren't summoned often because they were the lower tier of Death Eaters – Eric's job was too sensitive for them to be around for a lot of the missions and raids. He reached out and closed her eyelids before sending his patronus to the recovery team so they would know roughly where she was; as he was focused on a happy thought in the middle of this hell a spell ripped into his back.

He instantly felt the explosion of pain and fell forward onto his face, his teeth sinking into his tongue; blood pooled inside his mouth and spilled out over his chin but the pain from the curse was worse. His muscular body started twitching and he felt like his very skin cells were burning off, it was agony, but he tried to fight it – he couldn't let Weasley get one over on him.

Draco was having problems focusing on anything but the pain and it felt as though his body was on fire; his tendons were straining harshly as his body convulsed. He fought the convulsions as he thought about the bushy haired witch at his house waiting for him and his friends to return unscathed; she'd asked him to be safe, asked him to promise, even, and he allowed himself to get distracted enough to take a Cruciatus Curse in the back.

He couldn't allow himself to be the next person to disappoint her; she'd been through so much anguish in the last weeks that he just couldn't bring himself to cause her more pain. Thinking about her ridiculous hair and soft brown eyes, her perfect bow lips and the dimple that appeared in her left cheek whenever she smiled at him helped him focus on what he needed to do. It took all of his willpower to force his wand arm to turn toward the red headed bastard and grunt "Stupefy."

Ron was so caught off guard by the fact that Draco was overpowering the curse that he didn't even think of defending himself and he dropped to the floor, instantly unconscious. The Cruciatus Curse was lifted from Draco immediately and he laid on the floor panting, trying to get his breath back while he realized what he had just done. He was shocked that he was able to fight through the excruciating pain long enough to defend himself; he'd never heard of anyone doing something like that before.

"Are you okay, mate?" Blaise asked after he had been sitting on the floor for a moment or two. Draco hadn't realized his friend had come to his side until he spoke.

"I think so," Draco groaned as he attempted to stand.

"They've fled, I think they were too outnumbered," Blaise said, taking hold of Draco's arm and apparating back to Malfoy manor.

Hermione was in his face instantly, her cheeks slightly wet and drained of colour and her eyes wild, she looked incredibly upset and he had a feeling he wasn't the sole reason for her distress. "What happened?!" she exclaimed, wiping at his face with her sleeve roughly, almost hysterically.

"Get off," Draco said, batting her hands away. He was dead tired and his muscles didn't seem to want to work; Blaise was supporting him and then Greg was there, helping Blaise hold him upright. Theo was standing to the side with Vince, holding his arm at a strange angle and Hermione could see the blood beneath a rip in his sleeve.

"What happened?" she asked again, this time calmer but her eyes were still wild and haunted. Draco was going to respond as nicely as he could in his exhaustion but Tom's voice broke through the noise in the entrance hall.

"The Order of the Phoenix has once again fled after they've attacked an innocent family's house. I regret to inform you all that the entire Greengrass family has been murdered; their two daughters, Astoria and Daphne were found on opposite sides of the manor. Astoria seemed to be murdered with a quick killing curse, but Daphne had been tortured before her death; they were eighteen and twenty years old, respectively. I spoke to the Healers just moments ago and they informed me that Daphne had been in captivity with her abusers for at least two weeks and was tortured and raped repeatedly."

Draco turned to Hermione at those words because he just knew that she had seen everything, but she had her face turned away from him and his friends. That would have been one of the worst things for her to see and he was sincerely hoping it hadn't hit her too hard.

"Daphne was brought back and told Justin's squad, as well as some stragglers here, that the Weasleys had been in her house for weeks, killing her parents and younger sister when they first arrived and placing a stasis charm on them to keep their bodies intact. They then took it upon themselves to torture her for information that she didn't have! She was unable to be saved and immediately after informing the group about what had happened, she passed into the waiting arms of death. The Order is getting out of hand!" Tom shouted, riling his men up.

Everyone looked apologetic about what had happened and Hermione was still purposely avoiding Draco's stunned gaze.

"Those of you who were attacked and hurt, please go to the sick rooms – everyone else needs to reconvene in the ballroom while I call the rest of our supporters. We're having an emergency meeting as soon as possible; something needs to be done about the Order's continuous attacks on our families."

"Let's go," Blaise said, he and Greg moving Draco to a room near the entrance hall – only two other people were taken into the sick rooms and Hermione hurried in behind her friends as Draco was laid on the bed. They all removed their masks and Hermione was glad to see their faces; she felt strangely protective of and close to these men; seeing their faces without the masks let her know that they had definitely all made it back to her. They had saved her from death and for that she would always be grateful, especially after seeing what had happened to poor Daphne.

These men were her life now. She had no other friends to watch her back; this was it for her and if they weren't safe then she thought she might honestly lose her shit.

"Please tell me what happened," she said, hoping they wouldn't question her about what she had witnessed; she accidentally met Draco's eyes and could see that he knew she had been present for Daphne's arrival. She was leaning against the wall with one shoulder and her arms were crossed tightly across her chest. The anger in her eyes was apparent to everyone present but only Draco could see the fear and sorrow in them as well.

Blaise moved toward Theo and basically ripped the man's robes off so he could heal the deep cut on his arm; once he was done Hermione saw them look into each other's eyes for a moment longer than would have been normal if they were only friends. Blaise and Theo leaned back against the wall so close to each other their legs were touching and Greg leaned against the opposite wall and stared at her as though he was trying to figure something out. Draco took a deep breath before finally looking at her, "Weasley got me with the Cruciatus when I was distracted by the body of Astoria Greengrass."

"You found her?" Hermione asked, her voice softening slightly.

Draco only nodded, grimacing in pain.

"Do you think Weasley attacked you because he knew who you were?" she asked, the anger back in her voice. It wasn't lost on Draco that she didn't use Ron's first name.

Draco shook his head no. "He wouldn't have recognized me," Draco said, but Blaise stopped him. "You aren't wearing your mask, Draco, and you weren't when I found you. It fell off at some point, obviously, and I saw that pricks face when he was cursing you – he was thrilled at the opportunity to get you."

"The Order thinks we're the ones who attacked you, Hermione," Vince said, and when he met her eyes Hermione could see the humiliation there. Even the fact that someone would think he was a rapist was obviously hurting him deep down; he was one of the kindest people she had ever met.

"Potter obviously told them that," she said, her eyes glinting.

"My cousin and her werewolf husband found us first and she said all they want is to get you back; I have the feeling they're going to keep the attacks coming until they find you," Draco said, and then he smiled softly. "I told her even if you wanted to go back I wasn't sure I'd allow it, Hermione. Your place is here now and you're to be my wife – those idiots aren't taking you."

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she turned on her heel and steamed out of the room, surprising everyone present. She rushed to the ballroom to speak to Tom before he started the meeting and was surprised to see that the room was already packed full of people.

"Tom," she called upon seeing her leader and he stopped walking and turned to her, a small smile gracing his handsome features upon seeing who it was calling his name. He approached her, wary of the anger in her eyes and the fact that he knew she had seen Daphne – he hadn't witnessed Hermione's injuries first hand but he'd been told about them and knew it would have been hard for her to stomach.

Justin had offered up his memory about what had occurred and he saw that Hermione wanted to help the girl and just couldn't; he also saw the tears in her eyes as Justin lifted her to her feet.

Hermione met him halfway and said, "I want them to see that I'm aligned with you. You have to allow me to go on the next raid, please, Draco told me that they'll continue to attack until they've got me back. Everything is twisted and they think it was your men who attacked me, not the other way around and what was done to Daphne was inexcusable. They need to see the truth and they need to pay for what was done."

"Are you saying you want to plan a raid? You know I can't allow you to go until you've been totally cleared by Draco."

"I don't want to plan a raid, per se, but I think if I went on the next raid and 'accidentally' lost my mask mid battle, maybe even ripped my robes or something to show my mark then they'd know I'm here on my own accord. If we attack one of their homes it should help get the message across."

Tom blinked at her in surprise.

"If they were to see me with the Death Eaters, marked and fighting for your side, they should stop trying to force me back by killing and torturing anyone they come across."

"You realize that if we attack one of their homes we won't be just defending ourselves with hexes and jinxes? It would be death blows."

"I understand," she said, surprised she didn't have any guilty thoughts about condemning a family she'd used to be friends with to their deaths – no one had done a thing to help her in the last two years and mostly everyone had gone out of their way to ignore her and make her feel inconsequential.

"Let me think about it. You go join your friends, you don't need to stay for the meeting."

Hermione smiled gratefully at her leader before turning and fleeing back to the sick room that held Draco. When she opened the door he was being forcibly held down by Greg while Theo was trying to tip a potion down his throat.

"Stop it, you bloody bastards! I don't want to be knocked out! I'll be fine."

Hermione could tell he was exhausting himself quickly but she didn't want him mad at his friends for making him do something he didn't want to do. She moved forward and plucked the vial from Theo's fingers, causing him to look at her with narrowed eyes. "Stop fighting him, Greg. Draco, grow up and drink the fucking potion so you can rest and your muscles can heal."

"I don't need to rest," he argued as Greg backed off. "I need to train."

"Stop being ridiculous," she spat. "You can barely walk. Drink it," she demanded, and held the vial out to him with a steady hand. He glared at her but had to admit that she was right.

"What are you going to drink to get some sleep tonight, Hermione?" he asked, eyeing her knowingly.

"Don't worry about me," she said after swallowing hard, waggling the potion in front of his face. He sighed, knowing an argument was pointless at that moment, every movement hurt; his arm screamed in protest as he reached out to take the vial. He grasped the cool glass in clumsy fingers and put it to his mouth where he swallowed it and then quickly made himself comfortable, knowing he'd be sleeping within minutes.

"Fucking Weasley," he groaned, and the other four males looked at Hermione in awe – Draco hated potions in every way shape and form, he hated to medicate and she just got him to take a potion he had been arguing against without even batting an eye. His eyes fluttered shut but reopened when he felt a warm cloth on his face. Granger was standing directly in front of him and held a cloth tinged pink in her hand, she reached forward and rubbed his skin again and that was the first time he realized he was bloody, but his exhausted brow creased when he realized her eyes looked shiny with unshed tears.

He wanted to question her about it even though he knew she wasn't alright, but he could barely open his mouth and keep his eyes from fluttering so he knew it was a lost cause.

His tired eyes glanced around the room and he could see Blaise over Granger's shoulder smiling softly at them. As Draco's eyes closed firmly, unable to fight off the sleep any longer, he realized that his men were very on board with their upcoming marriage.

 **Reviews would be appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- Not beta'd! (I don't know if that's a word but it is now)**

 **A big thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed and also to Strotz and KomeKozzy425! You guys are all amazing!**

 **Chapter Eleven**

Hermione was in the gym alone, she was unable to sleep the night before and once the other men had gone home she'd snuck back into Draco's sick room to watch him sleep for a while. He looked so different when he was sleeping, his face was relaxed and he seemed younger than he was because the creases and small lines were completely smoothed out. Hermione sat completely still in an uncomfortable chair at the side of his bed and listened to his even breaths. If someone looked in the room they may have thought that she was sleeping, but she wasn't – she was thinking.

When Draco had arrived back the day before being supported by Blaise with his face covered in blood she had started to panic; that reaction alone told her that she felt something for Draco, something more than friendship. She had felt little twinges in her stomach and sometimes her heart would beat a little bit faster when he said something or looked at her a certain way; but she didn't realize until the moment she saw him hurt how much he'd actually come to mean to her in such a short amount of time.

It was frightening. She hadn't expected to have feelings like this for anyone for a very long time, not after what was done to her and while she knew she'd come to feel things for Draco over time she had no idea it would happen so rapidly.

She was scared to do anything more than kiss him, though, because she wasn't sure what exactly it was that he expected from her and she knew for a fact she wasn't ready for sex. He'd told her it wasn't a big deal to take it slow but did men actually mean that when they said it? She didn't know when the thought of having sex wouldn't be incredibly frightening to her – it could be months or even years. She didn't want Draco to feel like he was missing out on anything spectacular because of her and then begin to resent her for it. He'd already dumped Pansy – who had clearly put out willingly for him whenever he wanted it – in order to do good by her, but what if it turned into something he'd regret?

She'd had her virginity stolen from her ruthlessly and she didn't know how men responded to a tragedy like that – Hermione had literally no experience with men, well, no decent experiences anyway, and she was scared out of her wits to realize that she was falling for one of the most complicating men she had ever met. She felt like she could have married him and carried on with her life as usual, but now that she was actually feeling something for him it was a completely different situation.

How had she managed to let someone into her life so quickly after the things that were done to her? All five of the men had wormed their way into her heart surprisingly quickly and she couldn't imagine her life without any of them anymore, but she also couldn't imagine Draco spending his time with any other female.

She knew she was becoming fiercely protective of Draco and the men on the squad and if someone was outwardly threatening any of her new friends she would kill them without a second thought – these men were her family now and no one would take that from her.

The Order of the Phoenix had taken enough from her as it was.

Ronald fucking Weasley – one of the pride and joy of the Order, was going to pay dearly. He was a waste of life, as far as she was concerned. He had beaten her ruthlessly, took her body against her will and almost severed her hand – he had used an unforgiveable curse on Draco the night before and almost ruined her life again.

His disgraceful twin brothers had tortured a witch to death, and while she didn't have any proof that they were the ones who'd raped Daphne, she had to assume they were. They were the ones with her and the ones who'd inflicted so much pain on her, and they'd at least had a hand in killing her younger sister and parents, but Hermione doubted they did it alone. Daphne was in no position to give them much more than the bare essentials of information but she knew the Order and the way they operated well enough to know the Fred and George wouldn't have been sent to kill the Greengrass family by themselves.

Hermione thought about how the rest of the Weasley family had abandoned her in the drop of a hat because they thought she had 'hurt Ron's heart', even though they'd never really dated in the first place. His sister, Ginny, was the only good thing to come out of the family of losers, except maybe Charlie who lived so far away that he was effectively removed from the war.

If Hermione could kill Ron Weasley herself then she'd do it without any hesitation whatsoever, although; she honestly wouldn't be upset if any of her squad had the honors. They had all had to witness first-hand what he had done to her and she knew they were all extremely upset about it. She hoped once the Order realized who she was fighting for and where her loyalties lay that they would regret everything they had ever done to her in the past.

Especially if they were on the opposite end of her wand.

Hermione left Draco's room after a couple hours and went directly to the gym. It was nice to be there alone and work out by herself without anyone watching or giving her pointers. She knew that they were all doing it for her own good but sometimes she just wanted to be alone and figure some things out for herself. She alternated between cardio, weights, core work, leg work, yoga and her alternative skill over and over for hours, thinking about the work she'd have to do in order to be able to the best she could be.

Theo, Blaise, Greg or Vince hadn't shown up since they left the night before and she figured they knew that Draco would be sleeping most of the day. They also probably wanted to take a day off considering an entire family they knew had been murdered brutally.

She enjoyed the silence.

Draco slunk into the gym sometime in the evening with strict orders to only sit and watch; he wasn't to do any sort of exercising because his body was still recuperating from the muscle tremors and any exercise would set him back.

Hermione didn't know he was there at first so he watched silently as she worked out; he was watching her form and felt proud of how far she had come in a relatively short amount of time. He took in her attire – she was wearing the boots and the pants, but she had given up on the long sleeved shirt and was wearing a tank top instead. She turned in his direction to pick up her towel and he could see how exhausted she was, she had dark smudges under her eyes and looked a little wan; her shoulders were slumped slightly and she was moving slowly.

She still didn't see him.

"Did you sleep last night?" he asked her as she stopped for a water break. She jumped and a hand shot up to her chest.

"Christ, Draco! You scared the shit out of me," she said breathlessly, wiping her face with her towel before tossing it onto the bench and approaching him. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he said with a slight shrug. "By tomorrow I'll be as good as I ever was, but I'm not allowed to do anything for the rest of the day. How are you doing?"

Hermione shrugged and turned her face away from his for a few seconds. "I'm fine."

"Did you sleep last night?" he asked again, watching her body language.

"No," she said, choosing to be honest.

"It's because of Daphne, isn't it?" he asked her, watching her eyes closely. He saw the small flinch there and she dropped down onto the bench beside him, their legs almost touching.

"It's because of a lot of things," she said with a sigh. She'd been thinking about it for a while and had even had a private cry in the ladies bathroom in the gym for a few minutes. She felt heavy and sad and wasn't sure how to proceed with the man beside her; she was worried she'd make a fool of herself.

"How are you really doing?" he asked seriously. "I know you're not great or anything, but I'd at least like to hear that you're doing better than you were in the beginning."

"I am. So much has happened in such a short amount of time that I don't think I really had time to process everything until last night. The guys left, you were in a goddamned medically induced coma for 20 hours and I have no idea where your parents are. Tom's been busy making battle plans… he wanted to speak with me but I asked him to wait until you were up for it…"

"So have you processed?" he asked, turning to face her and taking her fingers in his gentle hand, rubbing the back of her hand softly with his thumb.

"That's why I didn't sleep. I was thinking all night now that I've finally had some alone time and something to almost… force me into thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking how much I suddenly care about you and the other guys; about how my life is completely fucking different but so much better. I haven't been here long but I'm already so much better off; I have people who care about me, who feed me, spend time with me, train me and want me involved. Before coming here I wasn't a part of a fucking thing for years. It was lonely."

"You won't be lonely here."

"I'm not and that's my point. I came to see you while you were sleeping, just to make sure the potion was working and you were resting as you should have been and didn't wake up to sneak to the gym or something, but I ended up sitting in there for a while and it clicked that there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be."

"You watched me sleep?"

"Not… in a creepy way! I was checking on you but I couldn't sleep and then my brain just wouldn't stop. I didn't watch you, I just sat in there. Maybe so I wasn't alone, I don't know."

"You'll never be alone," he said softly, their eyes connecting.

"I want all those fuckers to pay, Draco."

"They will," he assured, noticing how close they were to each other. "I will watch Ron Weasley die if it's the last thing I do."

"I want to be the one to kill him," Hermione almost whispered, her face tilting closer to his.

"I'll do my best to have that happen," he said tightly, closing the distance.

Their lips touched lightly, Hermione's eyes fluttering closed as she let out a little sigh; they'd shared kisses before but this one felt different. He pressed his lips more firmly to hers and allowed his own eyes to drift shut. He wasn't expecting to feel her tongue touch his lips and he opened his eyes in surprise for a moment but sunk into the kiss immediately when she did it again and Draco opened his mouth. Their tongues tangled together and Hermione found that she wasn't scared or anxious – this was wonderful and she didn't know why they hadn't shared a kiss like this before. She was breathing heavier than usual and she ended the kiss slowly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea and take things too far.

Draco took the hint and leaned away from her, colour was staining his usually pale cheeks and Hermione couldn't help but to reach out a finger and run it down the side of his face. He caught her hand and held it in his tightly as he saw the trepidation in her eyes. He sighed and said, "I already told you that I completely understand that you'll want to take things slowly, Hermione, so don't be worried about me crossing any lines."

She gave him a shy smile but before she could respond the door opened and Blaise came in, followed closely by Theo. Hermione held fast to Draco's hand and leaned her head against his shoulder gently as their friends approached – she was truly exhausted and now that she'd spoken to Draco she felt as though a heavy weight had lifted from her shoulders. Apparently saying things aloud made them easier to deal with sometimes.

"How are you feeling?" Theo asked, moving forward and looking at Draco closely, almost like he was inspecting the man sitting before him. Hermione yawned widely after sharing a small smile with her friend. Draco shifted and put his arm around her shoulder so she was tucked between his arm and side, her head pressed against his collar-bone instead of resting on his shoulder. He was always amazed by how small she was compared to him.

"Good, but I'm not allowed to train tonight."

"We figured as much," Blaise answered. "But that doesn't mean we can't."

"I'd rather Hermione took the rest of the night off," Draco said as Blaise went toward the weapon rack and started to take her knives down. He removed his hand and turned back to them, really taking in her appearance for the first time.

"Are you ill?" Theo asked, moving forward as Blaise came back across the room. The Italian approached her and put his hand on her forehead.

Hermione slapped his hand away and managed to look petulant. "I'm fine."

Blaise and Theo shared a look and Hermione said, "I'm just tired."

"Okay," Blaise said with a shrug, moving toward the switch to activate the arena while Theo smirked and went to grab his jo. He tossed the stick into the air a few times, catching it with practiced hands before Blaise could make it to the switch and seconds before the training ground was activated he gave Hermione a genuine smile and said, "You look like you could sleep for the next week," then went on to casually beat the shit out of the ghostly figures.

"I need to go find something to eat," Draco said, standing carefully. "Does anyone else want anything? Hermione? Have you even eaten since yesterday?" he demanded suddenly, and when she shook her head no he rolled his eyes and said, "I'll be back in a bit." He walked away carefully and Hermione figured his muscles were still extremely sore. The door closed slowly behind him.

"So, you and Draco are good?" Blaise asked, taking Draco's vacated spot.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "We've kissed and he told me he understands that I'll want to take things slowly, but I don't know what that means really. What if he's just… what if he doesn't understand how long it will take for things with me to be… you know…" she explained, feeling a little embarrassed.

"It means that even though he's going to be marrying you in less than five months he'll leave the timeline of snogging and stuff up to you, that it isn't a huge deal to him," Blaise said, matter of factly. "Hermione," he said slowly, turning to look at her with a calculated look. "Have you ever had an actual boyfriend before?"

Hermione didn't want to answer that question, so instead she said, "What about you and Theo? How long has that been going on?"

Blaise looked shocked.

"What?"

They stared at each other for a moment, Hermione thinking she had been wrong and ready to shout out a million apologies, and Blaise shocked because he thought they had been extremely discreet.

"How did you know that?" he asked, glancing to where his boyfriend was slaying ghosts.

"Blaise," Hermione said, canting her head to the side and looking at him innocently. "I'm a female – we notice these things. I've also known you both since Hogwarts and even wondered then if there was something going on – I think everyone in the house knows it, so you can't be surprised that I know."

"We started dating in our sixth year," he admitted. "Draco, Vince and Greg know, as well as Draco's parents and Tom, but I think that's about it. Well, and you too now, of course."

Hermione shrugged casually. "It doesn't make any difference to me and I like knowing that two of my closest friends are in a long, stable relationship. It gives me hope."

Blaise laughed for a moment. "We try not to broadcast it… some people wouldn't take it well."

"That's silly," Hermione said seriously. "If you love each other, as I know you do, then you shouldn't be worried about that."

Blaise didn't say anything and they lapsed into silence, watching Theo in the training area for a while.

"You never answered my question," Blaise said after a little bit of time had passed and Hermione couldn't help but think his voice sounded a little tight. "Have you ever really had a boyfriend before?"

"No," Hermione said shortly, not taking her eyes off Theo's graceful movements. "I mean I guess I dated Viktor Krum for a little while but there was no passion and barely any touching," she corrected.

She noticed that Blaise stiffened beside her slightly and his hands clenched into tight fists, but before she could question him about his strange behaviour he stood up and left her side in a hurry, grabbing his bow and joining Theo in the arena. Draco showed up a few minutes after Blaise left and passed her a plate of food, which she accepted gratefully before going to bed.

/

"We finally get to have our little conversation," Tom said, smiling across the desk toward Draco and Hermione who had joined him just moments before. He waved his wand at the papers on the desk and they rolled themselves up before levitating to a chest of drawers where they settled themselves firmly. Hermione looked nervous and Draco was sitting there as though it was a usual occurrence, which it was.

Tom spied their clasped hands and grinned, happy to see that they were able to get along.

"Where should I start?" Hermione asked, swallowing thickly.

"Just let me ease your fears, Hermione – I think I gave you the wrong impression about this meeting. I really don't need you to tell me all the little things about the Order of the Phoenix because I have plenty of informants plus a spy who lives in the headquarters full time."

"Ginny, of course!" Hermione exclaimed, feeling a little foolish that she hadn't realized that before.

"What did you want to speak to her about then," Draco asked seriously, eyeing Tom in confusion.

"Well, Draco. As you know I've had you specifically trained in healing."

"Yeah," Draco replied, wondering where this was going.

"I want you, Hermione, to study wards – blood wards specifically," Tom said, turning his dark eyes to Hermione.

"So I can drop the wards at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Hermione said, and Tom was happy to see that she caught on quickly.

"Precisely. I want you to focus on wards and curse-breaking. The Order is not above either form of magic and I know full well that their properties have many blood wards. I've chosen these specialties for the each of you for good reason, especially because it's basically impossible to drop blood wards."

"Our marriage will strengthen our magic," Draco said. "I could heal someone on the brink of death and Hermione would be able to drop the wards of any establishment – probably even our manor."

"This is incredibly important," Tom stressed. "Not as important as learning to defend yourselves, but this is up there. We won't be able to attack them until their wards are dropped."

"We'll work on it," Draco promised.

"The problem," Tom started, steepling his fingers in front of himself. "Is that once you've married you'll need to get used to your new powers. In every sense."

"Why is that a problem?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Because I want this war over."

"You want us to bump up the wedding date," Draco said suddenly, looking shocked and uneasy all of a sudden.

"How soon?" Hermione asked, gripping Draco's hand tightly. Her voice wavered a little bit and Tom was suddenly feeling a little angry. Did they not want to get married?!

"Why is this a problem?" he asked, looking at each of them closely.

"It's not," each of them said in unison before looking at each other and smiling almost privately.

"Why are you so uneasy then? Come now, there's nothing to hide here."

"Well," Hermione started, feeling incredibly awkward as her cheeks started flaming. "I know when you have a bonding marriage you have to…"

"Consummate," Draco supplied.

"Yes," Hermione said, her cheeks red and her eyes downcast. "That."

"And this is a problem?" Tom asked, not understanding in the least.

"She's been through a lot," Draco answered diplomatically, embarrassed for his fiancée.

"You can't let your past dictate your future," Tom said seriously, not interested in having a hitch in his plans because of something the Order had done. "The power you two will possess holds the future of this war, and I understand that what happened to you almost two months ago was incredibly hard on you but… you need to move away from it."

"I know," Hermione said, and she sounded truly miserable. Draco felt awful.

"Why can't we give her until the solstice, Tom? It was the original plan and we still have a lot to learn – I was going to tell you today that I want to clear her for raids. We could focus on that before the wedding."

"No," Tom stated. "I'm sorry, Draco, Hermione, but I need you to be able to use your magic properly and that could take months. What if it takes a year? Do you want this war going on, innocent people dying constantly, while she waits until she's ready for sex? I know that's harsh, but this is war and people are being murdered ruthlessly in the meantime."

Hermione instantly felt like the biggest pile of shit on the planet – Tom was right, and Hermione had witnessed it with her own eyes. She turned to Draco and noticed he was still going to argue her case; it touched her deeply but she placed a hand on his arm to stop him from talking.

"You're completely right," she stated, looking at Tom.

"What?" Draco said, his head snapping in her direction.

"He's right, Draco! Innocent people are being murdered because I'm having issues. Let's move the wedding up."

"Are you… fuck, Hermione, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Excellent," Tom said happily. "I'll speak to Narcissa and tell her that we're bumping it up. When are you thinking is a good time?"

"It really depends how long Narcissa needs to get everything in order. Once you speak to her we'll have a better idea."

"I've been thinking," Draco said, looking between Hermione and Tom seriously. "That since we've taken over all the major news sources we should do a spread about our engagement and upcoming wedding."

"Oh my God, Draco, that's brilliant! Ginny promised she'd bring me memories of those fucks after they find out about it."

"Sure, if that's what you want," Tom said, happy to please his power couple.

"I'll speak to Narcissa and have a concrete date in mind by dinner and once I know that I'll speak to some reporters and get that planned as well."

"I wanted to ask you something," Hermione said, looking nervous again. Tom's attention was focused solely on her once again, waiting for her to continue. "I obliviated my parents right when I finished school, before I went to the headquarters of the Order and I want them brought back here. I can go get them alone, if you'd prefer, but I don't feel comfortable with them being in Australia anymore. The Order of the Phoenix know of their whereabouts and I really don't like that. I was hoping to lift the memory charm I placed on them so I can keep them in the loop and also have them somewhere near – they don't need to live here or be involved in any sort of way but I need to ensure they're safe."

Tom looked shocked. "I hadn't realized you had family. You've been here for months and haven't said a word."

"I wanted to speak to you about it but things kept coming up and getting in the way."

"You should have told me when you got here," Tom said, and it made Hermione nervous to hear the stress in his voice.

"Will you allow me to go find them?"

"No," Tom said, and Hermione wilted in front of him while Draco shot him a very unimpressed glare. "You stay here, I'll send my best men out immediately. Lucius will be one of them."

Hermione inhaled sharply, "Thank you," she said, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. Oh, to see her parents again.

"Where are they?"

"Brisbane," she answered, clutching Draco's hand tightly in hers. "They think their names are Monica and Wendall Wilkins."

"Do you know if they've got jobs there? Or anything that will help us to pinpoint them?"

"No," Hermione admitted softly, her eyes downcast. "I only know where they went and their names – I didn't want to give myself too much information because I'd be tempted to find them."

"We'll find them, Hermione," Tom said softly, worried that Dumbledore would have already lashed out at Hermione through her parents. "It's my priority to keep you happy here and if having your parents will help then I'll make sure we find them. I don't know how long it will take with your minimal information but one way or another we'll find them."

Draco looked relieved and Hermione had tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I'll see you at dinner," Tom said suddenly, seeming rushed to get out of the study and find his men.

Draco and Hermione took the hint and left the office side by side, Hermione sniffling and Draco rubbing her back softly.

 **Remember to review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- Oh haaaaaaaay! Who else has been crazy busy the last few days?! Raise your hands! KomeKozzy425 and I spent 2.5 days making about 130 make-ahead freezer meals. Cooking twelve hours a day can sure make a person sore and tired but I'm still here with another chapter! I must admit that I've been getting a little disappointed with the reviews I've been receiving lately, but to those of you who review every single chapter and give me your thoughts about what you think is going to happen, and you all know who you are, you're amazingly awesome and I sincerely appreciate every single one of you!**

 **Oh yeah, this isn't beta'd so any mistakes are truly my own! Oh! and also Happy Easter to everyone and I hope you all get in some quality family time and delicious meals!  
**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Hermione was standing in the middle of the hallway with her arms full of clothes that were still on their hangers. She'd over estimated how much she could carry and was almost juggling the clothes in her arms to keep them off the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Draco asked with a smile in his voice after he'd watched Hermione struggling for a few moments.

She dropped a shirt.

"Fuck, Draco! Stop sneaking up on me with your creepily quiet strides!"

"Sorry," he said, approaching her and kissing her on the cheek before bending down and scooping up the shirt. "So, care to tell me what you're doing?"

"Well since your mum said she could have the wedding plans finalized within two months I figured I might as well get over my shit and move into your room."

Draco was shocked. "You weren't going to ask me, I assume…"

"No," she answered immediately, not even slightly concerned about what he felt about it. "But since you're here why don't you make yourself useful?"

"I am. I have this shirt."

Hermione huffed at him and continued on down the hallway, trying not to trip over the gown that was getting under her feet. Draco almost laughed at her.

"Why aren't you using your magic?" he asked, following her slow pace down the hall.

"Sometimes I just like to do things the muggle way," she said with a shrug that resulted in dropping another shirt.

"Okay then," Draco said, following her into his bedroom as she threw the load on his bed. He realized this wasn't her first trip – she had her shit spread all over his room. He tossed a few pairs of shoes off one of his armchairs and sat down to watch her – she was an intriguing person. She began sorting her clothes into different piles based on the garment – shirts, pants, dresses.

"Dare I ask why you feel it's necessary to move in here all of a sudden? My mom told us about the date almost a week ago."

"We need to get used to sharing space, Draco, and we need to get used to living as a married couple. I don't want the first night we share a bed to be on our wedding night – how awkward would that be?"

"As long as it's what you want," he said in a tone that clearly stated if she was happy he didn't care, but he was secretly thrilled she was moving into his suite – it meant he got to spend more time with her.

"It is," she assured, carrying a handful of shirts across the room and placing them in the closet.

"How are you fitting those?" He asked as she disappeared into his large wardrobe. "I had that closet full."

"Oh, I already moved your shit out of my way."

Draco wanted to groan but managed to keep it together – he had his closet organized in a specific way, but it was really inconsequential in the long run.

"You've been at this all morning?"

"Well it's the only day off from all the shit I'm learning plus the gym, so I figured now would be the best day for it."

"How much is still in your room?"

"Bathroom stuff. Probably a few other things laying around." Hermione came back out of the closet and picked up more clothes before turning back, making herself completely at home.

Draco grinned to himself before he left the room and wandered down the hallway to her bedroom, he went straight to bathroom and waved his wand – vanishing everything to reappear in his own bathroom just next door.

"Done," he said to himself, slapping his hands together. He went into the room itself and looked around – he spotted a sock on the floor and her combat boots but that was all he could see. He picked them up and went back to his own bedroom. Hermione was laying on the floor looking up at the ceiling with her legs straight up into the air.

"Now what are you doing?"

"Taking a break," she answered, grinning at him upside down. He was going to find out she was insane sooner or later – she might as well help him along.

"Why are your legs like that?"

"It's comfortable."

"I have your bathroom stuff and boots. That's all I saw in there – so I guess you're officially moved in."

Draco laid down on the floor beside Hermione and joined her in looking at the ceiling.

"Six weeks," he said, and Hermione nodded.

"Are you nervous?" she asked him.

"No. Not really, anyway."

"Why not? I am. Your mum has this huge wedding planned out – there are going to be a ridiculous amount of guests and I'm just… I hate groups."

"You did great at the Marking Ceremony. I think it'll be fun."

Hermione turned on her side before scooting closer and resting her head on his chest, her marked arm going around his body. Draco was surprised at first but then he wrapped his arm around her waist. She didn't show him affection all that often so when she did he jumped at the opportunity – maybe things would be different now that they were going to be sharing a space.

"Draco?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you for being so good to me."

He looked down at her and their eyes met as she peeked up at him. He wasn't sure exactly what to say to her so instead he hauled her up by her waist and met her lips with his. She straddled his hips and leaned down into the kiss, giving it all she had – her tongue wound around his as she groaned at the feeling. It was something she'd never experienced until she had kissed Draco and she loved it, loved the way it felt in her mouth as he kissed her skillfully. She wanted to progress her relationship with the blond before their wedding and she'd already made the decision that if the opportunity to have sex presented itself in a natural way after a few weeks that she'd do it.

She didn't want their first time to be on their wedding night any more than she wanted that to be the first time they shared any space with each other.

Hermione reached down to the hemline of his shirt, running her fingers across the bare skin there lightly. Draco shivered at her touch and groaned – a guttural sound that vibrated through Hermione's mouth to her very core. Her stomach flipped slightly and the feeling was completely new – something that made her feel… pleasure.

Hermione broke the kiss and lifted his shirt slowly, their eyes locked together as they panted in unison. Draco seemed hesitant but Hermione brushed it aside, she knew he was only coming across that way because he was worried about her and she didn't want to acknowledge it. She pulled the shirt over his head and off his arms, throwing it to the side before she leaned down and placed her lips against his again. Hermione sucked Draco's bottom lip in between her own and ground down on him simultaneously, he groaned loudly and sent another pulse of pleasure through her core.

She sat back, worried about getting him too turned on and ran her fingers across his bare chest while watching their progress. Draco was staring at up at her – she looked so fucking amazing with her flushed cheeks and slightly heaving chest.

"What's this from?" she asked lightly, tracing a raised scar that went down from his left nipple to his right hip bone – it was jagged against her soft fingers.

"That is curtesy of Harry fucking Potter – he attacked me on the quidditch field towards the end of our final year because he saw my Mark.

"I actually remember that," Hermione said. "But he didn't tell us it was that bad…"

"I almost died. If Blaise hadn't run for Snape – bless his soul – I wouldn't have lived through the night."

Hermione felt sad suddenly. Overwhelmed by her anger towards Potter and his stupid minions. Harry had dumbed down his attack on Draco to the point where he'd told them all he had stupefied the other boy and left him in the pitch over night – where he'd hopefully be attacked by something from the Forbidden Forest – because he'd saw the mark staining his pale arm.

"I had no idea – I'm so sorry, Draco," and Hermione leaned down and started kissing across his scar.

"Fuck," Draco groaned as Hermione moved lower than his bellybutton. "Come up here," he said, his arms reaching down to pull her up. Hermione allowed him to move her higher and he started pulling her shirt off, causing her to tense up slightly.

"I just want to feel your skin against mine," Draco assured, causing Hermione to allow him to pull her shirt over her head – her hair spilled out everywhere and bounced around her shoulders luxuriously.

Draco pulled Hermione down against his chest, their breathing slowed slightly.

"You're so soft," he whispered. He really wanted to remove her bra but knew he wasn't going to push it. "You feel so nice against me." He shifted so she was using his shoulder as a pillow and was snuggled against his side.

Hermione giggled, embarrassed about being without a shirt in front of him but also slightly liberated that she was doing this on her own terms. She leaned down and pressed her lips against his ribs but breathed in sharply and pulled away as her Mark burned and Lucius' study floated across her vision for a moment, Draco groaned and met her eyes.

"Of course," he said, getting to his feet before helping her up. He summoned their shirts and they pulled them on quickly. "I don't know what he wants but I'm going to have to let him know how awful his timing is."

"Don't you dare!" Hermione said, her cheeks flaming as her head popped up from the neckline of her shirt. Draco laughed as Hermione pulled her hair into a quick bun, trying to tame the flyaway hairs that were framing her face. They joined hands and apparated to Lucius' study, appearing just outside the doors.

"Let's see what he wants then," Hermione said, throwing the door open and stopping so suddenly that Draco walked into her. The room was full of people bustling around.

"Ah! Draco, Hermione, come on in!"

"What's this?" Draco asked, looking around at the people who were standing around racks of clothing, tables with makeup covering the tops and a rack full of shoes for women.

"We're doing your spread today. I know its last minute but the Daily Prophet had an opening in their schedule and apparently the light this evening will give it the perfect feel."

Hermione almost laughed from hearing Tom talk about lighting but before she could even respond an intimidating looking female rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her forward and standing her in front of a large rack of clothes. Hermione turned to Draco, her eyes wide as the woman began holding different styles of gowns up against Hermione's body chatting away to who she assumed was an assistant about which gown would look best with every shot they had planned.

"But it's only three," Draco said to himself, confused about why the evening light would be perfect.

Draco only watched Hermione for another moment before Tom beckoned to him and he made his way over to his leader. "This is going to be a little different than any other engagement shoot out there, Draco. We want to call the most attention possible to your upcoming wedding and we want to do so in an extremely glamorous way. There are going to be a lot of photos taken and then you'll both head over to be interviewed – glamour is the key though."

"Why does it need to be so glamorous?"

"We want youngsters so see Hermione as someone to look up to," Tom explained while gesturing to the woman in question as the makeup artist began holding different swatches of colour against her face to determine her skin tone exactly. "If they see her as someone to look up to it will help to turn the civilians against Potter – don't shy away from the things he's been doing in your interviews, by the way. Our takeover of the media has been very quiet and most people won't even realize its being run by us now."

"That's pretty smart, Tom, I must admit."

"Hermione is twenty, if we can get every girl aged eighteen and younger to look up to her, to wish to be her, then we'll be incredibly lucky in this war."

"It shouldn't be too hard – she's a good person, a beautiful woman and she's marrying into the Malfoy family. That should all work in her favour, are you going to have our marks showing? Or are we going to keep that quiet?"

"I think we'll show them. Hermione came to me the night of the Greengrass incident and told me she wanted to show her true allegiance."

"You don't think that's going to cause any riots?"

"I think it will make everyone question what's happening with the Order of the Phoenix – especially when it's accompanied by your interviews."

"Would you like to give us any direction?"

"Sell it," Tom said, "We'll be having a late dinner tonight so I'll see you guys then. Good luck."

"Mr. Malfoy?" A tall dark haired man asked while approaching.

"Yes?"

"This way please."

Draco took one last look at Hermione – who was laughing with the stylist about something – before following the man out of the room and across the hall. He entered the room to see racks of men clothes, with vests, button down shirts, tailored slacks and shiny shoes.

"We have a specific look that will compliment your fiancé's for every photo we have planned. We're going to do single shots of each of you as well, and your first outfit is already hanging in the bathroom for you if you'd like to go ahead and get dressed."

Draco turned toward the bathroom without giving the man another thought, interested to see what he'd be wearing. He found that he was more interested in seeing what Hermione looked like when he was finally able to lay his eyes on her again than he was in his own outfit, though.

His first outfit consisted of plain black slacks, shiny black shoes, a black leather belt and a plain grey button down shirt. Draco dressed quickly and then stared at himself in the mirror, psyching himself up for what he was about to do. Tom had stressed the importance of selling themselves – of selling their 'love story', basically, and while Draco was incredibly fond of Hermione and she was starting to grow on him, he knew he didn't love her. Not yet. He could, though, after time, and if this was something that would make Hermione happy and more comfortable with him then he was definitely going to give it his best.

Draco left the bathroom and was descended on by three females immediately. One began fussing with his shirt, rolling up his sleeves to elbows and unbuttoning all of the buttons so that his toned chest and stomach was visible. She popped the collar so that it stuck up straight on either side and around the back of his neck. Another woman began messing with his hair, combing it back away from his face gently but not in the severe manner he had used to do when he was younger. The third woman led him to a chair that spun and sat him down, taking a pencil and coming in close to his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, backing away as far as the chair would allow.

"I'm just going to line your eyes slightly – women fall all over men with dark, thick lashes and Tom told us to take your already attractive features and make them even more appealing." The woman looked unsure of herself, she didn't want to piss Draco Malfoy off but she also had to follow Tom's orders.

"Go ahead then," Draco said, thinking of Hermione and how if she wasn't involved and this wouldn't make her happy he would have told these idiots to shove off and went back to his room. He wasn't some sort of doll for these women to dress up in a way that would make him 'appealing', although he was smart enough to understand that this was a way to draw people his age and younger towards their side of the battle.

The woman rimmed his eyes lightly with the pencil in her hand and he was glad to see you could barely tell it was there – it did, in fact, make his eyes a little more interesting. She also powdered his face with something 'to keep the shine down' but Draco drew the line when she tried to come at him with something for his lips.

"You'd have to be fucking insane to think I'd allow you to put lipstick on me!"

"It isn't lipstick, but fine. We're done with you for now, so you can go right out this door here for your individual shots. You're going to be wearing this outfit for your first few shots with Hermione as well, but we've got plenty of changes to do before your day is through."

"Great," Draco said sarcastically, leaving the room to find the photographer.

/

While Draco was grumbling Hermione was having the time of her life.

She'd sat in hair already and her makeup was almost finished, but she was to get changed last with the help of her assistants so she didn't ruin her hair.

"That ring is amazing," her one assistant, Lana, said to her, gesturing to the engagement ring on her finger.

"Thanks," Hermione said shyly, as she sat perfectly still while the makeup artist darkened and shaped her eyebrows.

"You must love him very much," she added, causing Hermione's cheeks to redden. She knew as soon as she started speaking with her helpers that they had no idea about the actual arrangements behind her marriage to Draco, but she instinctively knew to keep the information to herself. This engagement shoot was important to show the Order and the rest of the U.K. what she believed in – where her loyalties lay – and she'd be damned if anything would fuck it up.

"Yes," Hermione breathed. "Very much."

"I bet he's great in bed – he's one of the hottest wizards I've ever laid eyes on."

Hermione cheeks burned but she didn't answer – she didn't even have to look at the girls since her makeup artist was applying a liberal amount of black eyeliner onto her top lid.

"You're so lucky, Hermione!" one of the girls said after they'd finished talking about what they figured it would be like to sleep with her blond fiancé.

Hermione hummed non-committedly and her makeup artist finished what she needed to do.

"Time for your outfit," Lana said, gesturing to the black dress hanging from the bathroom door. It was skin tight and had small cap sleeves with a slightly square looking neckline, it was tight until her waist and then flared out in a skirt that went more out than down and only covered her butt by a couple inches. Her feet were encased in pumps with a high heel and made her legs look impossibly lean and long.

Her assistants helped her get the dress on without ruining anything and she was finally able to look at herself in the mirror.

"Holy shit," she breathed, her jaw dropping. Her face looked more angular than it usually did – her cheekbones were more pronounced and her eyes were done up with smoky makeup. Her lips were a dark red that made them look luscious while making her perfect teeth look whiter than usual. "I look fucking amazing!"

"It's easy to do makeup on someone who is already beautiful," the makeup artist said generously. Hermione didn't know what to say to that.

"You're going to do your personal photoshoot first and then we'll do some of you and your fiancé together before you're to change outfits."

"Okay," Hermione said, feeling oddly nervous. Draco was already ridiculously gorgeous so she couldn't even imagine what they'd done to him and how he looked now if she looked as different as she did.

/

"Where did the two of you meet?"

Tom had brought in an up and coming reporter by the name of Holly Hawkhead to do their interview – she was a very low key supporter of Tom's side and would spin the article to make them look good no matter what happened.

"When we were eleven," Hermione started, laughing, "Draco had the most ridiculous hair, it was platinum blond and slicked back with so much grease he could have slid into the Great Hall."

"I'd rather it be slicked back than so bushy owls could have nested in it. You should have seen, Holly, it was just atrocious."

Hermione and Draco shared a look that almost had Holly swooning or running for a cold glass of water.

"So was it love at first sight?" Holly asked the couple who were sitting on a small couch together.

Hermione and Draco shared another look and both laughed lightly. "Definitely not," Hermione stated. "We actually really didn't agree with each other when we went to Hogwarts."

"Didn't agree?" Draco asked, beginning to laugh a little harder, "We basically hated each other."

"That's not true," Hermione disagreed, "I didn't really care about you enough to hate you."

"Oh, you wound me," Draco joked.

"Fuck off," Hermione said, reaching over and slapping him on the chest lightly.

"If you hated each other, how did you manage to become engaged?" Holly asked, completely serious and seemingly curious for her own benefit. She had a way of asking questions that made them feel like it was a one on one conversation and not being recorded for the entire nation of witches and wizards to read.

"Well, I guess it all started when I found Hermione in the Forest of Dean."

"What was she doing there?"

"Dying," Draco said seriously, a haunted look taking over his previously jovial eyes. The conversation had taken a serious turn very quickly but Hermione was inclined to just let Draco do the speaking. She had never really heard it from his point of view.

"Dying!?" Holly asked, completely shocked.

"Yes," Draco said, clearing his throat. "When I found Hermione she was unconscious and so bruised and beaten that I almost didn't even recognize her. My men and I got her back to our camp and I healed her as best as I could before she woke up without crossing any lines."

"What type of lines, Draco?"

"I'm going to be blunt with you, Holly. Hermione was raped, brutally beaten, almost choked to death and her hand was almost completely cut in half. I didn't feel comfortable healing her in specific areas until I had the go ahead from her."

"Oh, Merlin," Holly said, completely understanding what Draco was trying to say. "May I see your hand, Hermione?"

Hermione glanced at Draco before lifting her hand to Holly Hawkhead and unnecessarily pointing out the scar for the reporter to see.

"How did you feel when you found her, Draco?"

"Horrified," he answered honestly, "It was dark so I was just using my wand to light my way and it fell upon her hand first. I truly didn't even understand what I was seeing at first – once I did I just remember shooting up sparks for my men to find us and trying to make sure she was still alive. Her throat was so bruised and red that I thought for sure she'd been strangled to death."

"That must have been tough," she answered, a noncommittal comment to keep Draco rolling.

"It was," he answered, taking Hermione's hand in his and caressing the back with his thumb. "I didn't know her then, really, but I was still just… it was truly awful."

"Well, thankfully you found her. So finding her led to your relationship?"

"I think we bonded a lot that first night," Hermione said, her voice shaking slightly from the emotion Draco had portrayed. "After that I went to speak to another member of the Order to tell him what had happened. He brought along a third and neither of the men believed me and somehow realized I had been in contact with a few Death Eaters – they didn't know they'd healed me… or maybe they did, it doesn't really matter but they knew something happened. He drew his wand but I apparated away quickly – not quickly enough though, unfortunately. I had been hit with a curse that acts as the Cruciatus does, but the caster doesn't have to have you in front of their wand for the curse to continue. It was mean to kill me for 'betraying' the Order."

Hermione didn't want to nationally admit that Apparation could be traced so she'd altered her story only slightly.

"I brought her back here," Draco said, picking up the story. "We spent a lot of time together and the rest is, as they say, history."

"I must ask, Hermione. Who were the boys who attacked you?"

Hermione looked Draco and he gave her a small half smile – really just a lift of one corner of his lips – and squeezed her hand in a show of support.

"Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter."

"And the third that accompanied Mr. Potter?"

"Albus Dumbledore."

Holly Hawkhead sat and stared at Hermione in shock after the younger witch's admission before she began to scribble on her notepad quickly, her words indecipherable from where the couple were sitting.

"So this is why you left the Order?"

"No. I left the Order because I don't agree with what they're doing – I don't agree with their tactics and the fact that they're out there killing, torturing and raping innocent bystanders who are actively neutral in this war or just people they feel like targeting. They treated me horribly and kept me contained in their headquarters for over two years." Hermione was getting emotional as the words spilled from her lips. "I don't agree with the fact that I had to watch a witch die in front of my very eyes because they thought it was agreeable to torture and rape her, keeping her in her house with her dead family to use against her."

She started to cry now, the words slipping from her mouth. "I was already packed and ready to leave the night Ron stormed into my room, naked and drunk, and attacked me viciously. He almost knocked me out before he stole my wand and I was unable to use my wandless magic because I was so out of it – he shot a 'Diffindo' directly at my chest, and if I hadn't put my hand out stupidly to stop it there's a pretty good chance it would have killed me. Don't even get me started on Dumbledore," she spat, raging mad as tears dripped down her cheeks – she had the random thought about how glad she was that her makeup was magical and wouldn't get ruined. "The Order of the Phoenix is full of despicable people who need to be exposed for the wrongs they have done!"

Hermione fell forward, her chest on her thighs and continued to sniffle while Draco rubbed her back consolingly.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, trying to get control of herself.

"I think we're done for now," Draco said in his deep baritone, trying to take control. "I'd like to take my fiancé up to our rooms so she can take a small break and maybe have something to eat. Can we resume in half an hour or so?"

 **Don't forget to review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N- Phew! The responses for my last chapter were truly amazing so I got this one posted as soon as I had enough free time to read it over/edit it and what not! Like I originally said - the more reviews, the faster the chapters will come! Thank you to everyone who had something positive to say! Also I guess to those who didn't really have anything positive to say, since I don't mind hearing your thoughts as long as they aren't totally awful and mean haha.**

 **To the guest that I can't reply to... this isn't a Tomione, it's a Dramione, and if you feel as though the story would have been better off being written as a Tomione well... I honestly don't know what to say to that. Although you'll feel a little silly about that thought in a few chapters, I'm sure.**

 **This chapter is - as per usual, lately - not beta'd! Sorry!**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

"I'm sorry," Hermione said as she sipped her tea and ate a small sandwich. "I need to control myself better."

"Don't apologize," Draco told her sternly. "It's understandable that you're emotional about it, Hermione. I think your emotional state will actually come across better when it's written by Holly and let people know how you still feel about everything – people understand emotions, for the most part."

"Let's get back and get this over with. I really want to have a bath but we need to finish this and really focus on telling her about our wedding."

Hermione and Draco began walking the long halls back to the study where they were being interviewed. "You've looked really amazing all day, Hermione."

"Thanks," she mumbled, her cheeks reddening.

They entered the study and apologized to Holly for their short break before she picked up like nothing had happened.

"Tell me about your wedding."

Hermione sighed. "Can you imagine a wedding planned by Narcissa Malfoy? It's going to be huge and elegant. Honestly, the last time I saw the guest list it was at just under one thousand guests. Narcissa promised she'd trim it down but she continues to insist that there are just too many people who need an invitation. I understand, of course, because the Malfoy family is very well connected and don't want to insult anyone by not issuing an invitation to them. Narcissa has been wonderful and has really taken the pressure off of me."

"Do we get any juicy details?"

Hermione and Draco shared a look before Draco turned to Holly and said, "Not out of us, Holly. Sorry! You'll have to wait for the big day."

"Are you excited?" Holly asked Draco, who immediately grinned at the woman. "I can't wait. I know it seems fast and I'm sure people think we're crazy or something and I don't know about Hermione, but I honestly feel like this is a long time coming. We didn't get along in school because there was always a… I guess a sexual tension between us. I was almost hyper-aware of her existence."

"Well, I can vouch for all of our readers that I'm sitting in front of a couple who are clearly in love."

Hermione's cheeks reddened and she shifted slightly before tilting her face up to look into Draco's eyes, thinking about how well he was with the reporter across the table from them – he had her eating out of his hand. Draco leaned down and kissed her in one fluid motion and almost without thought.

"What should we expect from you two in the future? Children?"

"At some point," Hermione answered, shrugging casually. "Not within the next few years at least – we're in the middle of a war and I know that I'd like to be able to focus on Draco for a few years before we make any major changes."

"Excellent, excellent. I'm sure everything will fall into place for your future."

"Hopefully," Hermione said, always the pessimist.

"It will," Draco said, somewhat forcefully, surprising both Holly and Hermione. Both females looked at him sharply for his tone and demeanor but he just shrugged it away, his eyes softening again as he looked down at his future wife. Sometimes her pessimistic attitude toward the war and her life just drove him mad.

"Are we done here?" he asked.

"I think so. Your mum was just finishing up choosing the most acceptable photos for the spread, but you two can go on your way now. Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you."

"You're welcome," they said in unison as Draco stood. He gently pulled Hermione to her feet and she said, "I hope to see you soon, Holly."

Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and guided her from the room. Holly sat back and sighed – she could only hope that she'd one day be as happy as the couple who had just left, despite the war raging around them.

/

"Let's swing by the dining room for a quick dinner before we call it a night. I want you to have a relaxing bath tonight and just… take it easy. It was a long day."

"It really was," Hermione answered, but it turned into a yawn before she could add anything to her sentence.

"Just a quick meal. You need more than a cup of tea and a small sandwich to get through the day, especially with the way we exercise."

"I know, I know," Hermione said, barely containing herself from rolling her eyes. She'd heard it a thousand fucking times.

They entered the dining room and Draco was surprised to see his men there. Theo let out a low whistle when Hermione entered the room and if he wasn't gay Draco would have punched him.

"Look at you," Blaise said appreciatively. "I hear you both had a long day of photoshoots and interviews."

"You don't even know," Hermione said as Draco pulled out her chair for her. "I'm exhausted and so fucking hungry I feel like my stomach is eating itself."

"Why are you guys here, anyway? And where's my mum and Tom?"

"We were bored," Greg supplied.

"Your mom is going over pictures or something, I don't really know, and I also have no idea where Tom is," Vincent said, spearing a potato onto his fork.

"Lucius still isn't back yet?"

"Not yet," Draco answered, glaring at Blaise. He didn't want to draw any more attention to the fact that the team hadn't found Hermione's family yet than was necessary. He worried about it. He didn't think anything good was going to come from the fact that his father and his team had been gone for over a week. An extraction usually only took three days at the most – no one had ever been gone this long. Draco hadn't told Hermione any of his suspicions though, he didn't want to scare her.

"Should be back any day now…" Hermione said, and Draco put a scoop of potatoes on her plate and pushed it closer to her, hoping to distract her.

She took a few bites and sat back in her chair. "I'm exhausted."

"It was a long day."

"Way too fucking long. I still have to finish putting all my shit away too," Hermione said with a groan.

"You realize we have house elves?"

"Draco! I'm not using house elves to clean up after me because I'm feeling lazy. I'll just… deal with it after I bath."

"Why do you have to put your things away?" Blaise asked, confused.

"Oh, I moved into Draco's room this morning."

The four guests' eyes widened, surprised to hear that.

"Her shit's everywhere," Draco complained. "I'm pretty sure my entire bed is covered."

"I put some of it away!"

"Yeah like three articles of clothing."

"That counts," Hermione said, eating a piece of meat.

Blaise and Theo shared a look with Greg and Vince, noticing how close the couple was becoming with each other.

The men picked up a conversation and started to talk about their training and Hermione finished her meal in silence, yawning every couple of minutes.

"Let's get you upstairs," Draco said, standing up and pulling out her chair as she got to her feet slowly.

"Goodnight, guys," Hermione said, immediately heading upstairs.

"You're falling," Theo said in a singsong voice to Draco before the blond turned and followed his fiancée. Draco stared at Theo for a moment before he turned to leave, wondering if he was, in fact, falling in love with Hermione so quickly. He planned to have everything put away – without the fucking house elves' help – before she was out of the bath but was stopped by Blaise.

"Draco!" his friend called out, coming around the side of the table. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Blaise followed him from the dining room and they crossed the hall and headed for the empty sitting room together in silence. Draco was exhausted and really just wanted to go deal with his bedroom before going to bed but he knew by the look on Blaise's face that whatever he felt he had to say was important.

"What's up?" Draco asked, throwing himself down on the couch and resting his forearms on his knees.

"I've been wanting to speak to you for a while but everyone has been so busy that I haven't been able to find a moment alone with you for ages."

"I know, things have been busy between training and wedding planning."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment and Draco looked up at Blaise to see that his friend actually looked pretty nervous. "What is it, Blaise?" Draco asked, smothering a yawn.

"Look, I want to talk to you about Hermione. I was talking to her after the Greengrass incident and it came to my realization that she was a virgin before Weasley got his disgusting hands on her."

Draco wasn't sure what Blaise expected him to say to that. He was already very aware of Hermione's past and knew that she had her virginity stolen from her in the worst way possible, but he really didn't understand why Blaise was bringing this up.

"She also has never had a real relationship and I think it's kind of sad that she's being forced to marry you and will never know what it's like to be loved."

"Excuse me?" Draco asked, his voice dropping an octave as his eyes glinted at his friend. "She will never know what it's like to be loved?"

Blaise seemed to realize his mistake immediately, he cleared his throat and looked around before opening his mouth but Draco started speaking first.

"I'm very aware of my fiancée's situation, Blaise, and I'll have you know that I care about her quite a bit. She moved into my room today for fuck sakes and things are moving between us very nicely. I don't need you to stand here and tell me about how she's never going to know what it's like to be loved!"

Instead of staying calm and explaining himself better, Blaise started to get angry as well.

"Do you even care that she was a fucking virgin before she was raped by that fucker?! It seems like you're in this for the power you'll get from marrying her and everything is else is just a fucking bonus!"

"Don't!" Draco snarled, his temper flaring as he jumped to his feet. "Don't you dare fucking sit here and try to tell me that I don't care about her and the things she's gone through! I know what happened, Blaise! I know she was a fucking virgin because she told me! We talk about this shit! Don't stand here and try to act like you're the only one who cares about her! And I'm only in this for the power I'll gain from marrying her?! If that's how you actually feel then you obviously don't know me at all – go back into the dining room and ask your fucking boyfriend about my feelings because he's much more in tune to what's going on here than you are!"

"It just doesn't seem like you care, Draco!"

"I do care, and I don't need to prove that to you at all. It's Hermione that needs to know how I feel and that's the end of it. If you don't want to believe it then that's fine but I'm falling for that girl and for you to cheapen that by saying that I'm only in this for the power is just fucked. I'm going to bed!"

Draco stormed from the room, slamming the door hard behind him in his anger.

 _Fuck Blaise and everything he thinks he knows,_ Draco thought to himself, storming down the halls toward his room. He had a fiancée to make happy and that was the only thing he was concerned about.

"What happened in there?" Theo asked, his eyebrows high on his face as Blaise slowly came back into the room. Blaise shook his head instead of answering and sat heavily in his chair. That had not gone the way he had planned. He'd really only wanted to speak to Draco about the entire situation and make sure Hermione was going to be okay in the long run, he hadn't meant to make it sound like Draco didn't care and was only in it for the excess power he'd receive from the marriage. As usual, when he got angry he let his mouth run as though it wasn't connected to his brain.

He had some apologizing to do.

/

Hermione opened the bathroom door to see Draco lounging in bed with a book, his eyebrows were scrunched together and he seemed to be muttering to himself under his breath until he realized she was there. The blankets were pulled up over his bare chest and tucked against his sides by his arms as he clenched the book in his hands a lot tighter than seemed necessary. She stopped for a moment to watch him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable when she realized he'd put all her things away.

"You cleaned," she said.

"I figured it was easier for me to do it while you were relaxing then have you get out of the shower and have to complete it."

"Thanks," Hermione answered, approaching the bed warily. It was the first time in her life she'd ever willingly share a bed with anyone.

"I have sleeping pants on," he said without even looking up from the pages he was reading. He thought if he was casual towards the situation she would feel a lot more comfortable and he was much more aware of everything since his argument with Blaise.

Hermione relaxed instantly. She closed the bathroom door slightly but left it open a crack. Draco didn't even realize the bathroom light was still on until he flicked his wand to extinguish the lights in the bedroom. Hermione was snuggled deep into the bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin as she watched Draco reading, but as soon as he extinguished the light she began tossing and turning.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is the bathroom light still on?"

She didn't answer him right away, so Draco turned to her under the blankets. She looked upset and maybe a little bit scared – he didn't like seeing her that way.

"What is it?"

"I just don't really like the dark," she said quietly. "I tried sleeping in the dark my first few nights here and… couldn't."

"Okay," Draco said easily. "It's okay, Hermione. I understand."

She breathed a sigh of relief and he realized that she was nervous about his reaction. "Honestly, it's totally fine. Have you been having trouble sleeping in general since you've been here?"

"A little," she said with a small shrug. "I'm sure it'll pass."

"Okay," Draco said, and they fell into silence.

Draco tried to stay awake until Hermione fell asleep but after half an hour he fell into the waiting arms of slumber – Hermione was jealous about how peacefully he slept. She had a tendency to toss and turn before waking up in a cold sweat and gasping for breath. For some reason she hadn't considered her nightmares and awful sleeping patterns before she'd decided to move into Draco's room but she didn't seem to be disturbing his rest, thankfully.

She finally fell asleep after listening to Draco's soft, even breathing – it was almost lulling.

/

"Oh, Merlin, Hermione – look at this photo of you!"

They were at dinner the following evening and the evening edition of the _Daily Prophet_ came out with their feature story. The picture Narcissa was referring to was a single shot of Hermione in her first outfit – the bright white light behind her was making her appear as a silhouette but you could still see her features clearly. Hermione was standing with her entire body facing the camera. Her arms were bent at the elbows and her hands were planted firmly on her hips, her engagement ring on her left finger was glinting in the light and was very obvious against her black dress. She was staring at the camera with an almost daring look on her face, her eyes narrowed slightly and her full red lips pouted – she looked fierce.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed, looking down at the newspaper that was spread across the table.

"Christ, my fiancée is hot!"

Narcissa didn't even bother scolding them for their language as they all looked at the pictures spread out in front of them.

Draco was standing in dim lighting, his shirt open and his chest and abs looking almost greased up by the way the light rippled off the muscles. He was in the frame from the just below his belt and higher. Draco was looking at the camera seriously, his head turned to the side just slightly as his smouldering eyes bore into the lens. It was one of the sexiest pictures Hermione had ever seen in her entire life.

There was a shot with both Hermione and Draco standing on a balcony in the soft evening light, an incredible sunset in the distance. Draco was standing sturdily with his right side to the camera, looking almost like a linebacker. He was facing Hermione squarely with a soft smile on his face, his arms were straight down his sides but somehow you got the illusion that he was going to lift an arm toward Hermione. She was standing opposite of him, one hand brushing across Draco's bare chest lightly and her head thrown back in a laugh.

"I don't even remember this," Draco said, gesturing the photo of them together.

"Me either, to be honest."

"It's almost like I'm standing there with you," Narcissa said, a hand moving over the picture lightly. "This is really an incredible photo. Actually, they're all amazing. I should see if I can purchase a few."

Hermione eyes were drawn to a photo of her wearing a burgundy dress that cut off a couple inches above her knees – it had ruffles along the bottom hem and fit her snugly, but she was only in the frame from the hips up. Draco stood behind her and had his right hand pressed against her flat stomach, holding her body tightly to his. She had her left arm bent at the elbow and it extended above her head with her palm pressed against Draco's left cheek, her fingers curling around the back of his head. His left hand was laid atop hers and his eyes were closed, leaning into the touch – you could almost see that he was nuzzling into it.

Their Dark Marks were fully on display and Hermione was staring into the camera lens almost challengingly, daring people to see the Mark on her arm and try to cause her harm for it.

"I can basically feel the sexual desires oozing out of this one," Narcissa said softly, touching the picture Hermione had been looking at. "They should have put out a warning that these photos aren't for children," she joked. "I definitely need to speak to the paper and see if I can purchase some."

Hermione finished looking at the numerous photos of her and Draco – all of them had a slight sexual feel to them but they were amazing. She rounded the table and took her seat to eat, Draco coming to her side and pulling out her chair as usual. She thanked him as he settled in beside her and began scooping portions onto his plate as Hermione followed suit.

Narcissa was still entranced by the newspaper but Hermione could see that she was now reading the article instead of staring at the photos. Her expression remained stoic but Hermione could see the emotions in her eyes as she continued to read through the entire two page interview. She sat back and was about to say something when Tom entered the room with a huge smile on his handsome face.

"Ahh, I see you've read the article."

"I have, they haven't" Narcissa said, moving the paper away and doling herself out some food.

"It was perfect!" Tom exclaimed, beaming. "I knew you two were going to sell it but I didn't realize quite how amazing it would be. If this doesn't start sending people in our direction with support I honestly don't know what will."

/

Ginny appeared an hour or so after dinner – she was escorted into the family room by Mojo, an elf owned by the Malfoy family.

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled in excitement upon seeing her friend. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was able to get away for a while since everyone is so distracted by that article in the Daily Prophet this evening. Merlin, Hermione, you looked amazing!"

"Thanks," Hermione answered, no longer blushing about it since she'd seen the pictures and knew that she did look incredible. "It was such a long day."

"People are freaking out."

"People, or Harry and Ron?"

"Pretty much the entire Order. We were having a huge dinner tonight to celebrate the engagement of Fred and Angelina – no one was expecting news of another engagement to come to light."

Hermione grinned and Draco appeared at her side, his arm easily going around her waist and pulling her in close to his side.

"Draco," Ginny said easily, nodding her head in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Ginny. Have you brought some memories?"

"Yes, actually. I'm sure you'll both be amused."

"This way," Draco said, leading them down a hallway that ended with double doors. They entered the room and saw that they were in a room with a large pensieve in the middle – the walls had vials upon vials of memories, all which were labelled.

"What is this?" Hermione asked, but Ginny and Draco both seemed to know exactly where they were.

"When we go on missions, raids or find any information we duplicate our memories and give the copies to Tom so he can view them at his leisure. He stores them here and obviously uses this pensieve to be able to enter the memories whenever he feels the need."

"Interesting," Hermione said, looking around.

Ginny walked forward and put her wand to her temple before lowering the silvery, wispy strands of memory into the large basin in front of her. She gestured to Hermione and Draco who bent over and fell into the memories first – Ginny following behind them.

/

 _Ginny was sitting at the table between Harry and Ron as everyone passed around large dishes of food and chatted companionably. Dumbledore was at the head of the table, watching Harry closely and almost curiously as he filled his plate with his favourite options from the vast array of steaming food before him. Once the plates were full there was a faint dinging in the air and Hermione followed Ginny's line of vision to see that Molly was clanking her cup with a knife._

 _"As you all know we're here tonight to congratulate my wonderful son Fred on finding the woman who he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Angelina – we're thrilled you're going to become part of our already large family."_

 _"I doubt she'll be able to stop him from raping and torturing," Hermione spat as she watched Angelina Johnson flutter her eyelids sickeningly at Fred._

 _Ginny cringed but had to agree with Hermione – her brothers were completely fucked and she wasn't under any sort of illusions otherwise._

 _"Hear, hear!" the group yelled, everyone around Ginny raising their glasses to the newly engaged couple. Harry glanced at Dumbledore and then turned to glare at Ginny, his emerald eyes glinting dangerously in the low light of the kitchen until she picked up her glass and gave a salute to the couple almost mockingly._

 _An owl tapped on the window and Molly Weasley jumped to her feet, "Maybe some congratulations from your Auntie Muriel! I sent her a letter just yesterday." She opened the window and allowed the owl into the kitchen. It flew to the counter and waited for a payment before it would relinquish the paper in its beak and Molly rushed forward and stuffed a knut into the leather pouch on the owls leg._

 _"Just the Prophet," she said dismissively, unfurling it before throwing it onto the counter. She was turning to the table when something on the paper caught her attention and she snapped back around to stare at it._

 _Molly let out a dramatic gasp and snatched the paper back off the counter, her jaw dropping open._

 _"What is it, mum?" Ginny asked, drawing everyone's attention to her mother. She had been waiting for the article to make its appearance in the paper and wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity to make sure it was noticed._

 _Hermione shared a smile with the real Ginny beside her._

 _"This… It's… Merlin."_

 _"What is it?" Harry asked immediately, getting to his feet and striding around the table to where Molly Weasley was standing. The woman was white as a sheet and her eyes were as round as Ginny had ever seen them._

 _"What the fuck?!" Harry roared upon seeing the photo spread on the front page. He ripped the paper roughly from Molly's hands and pressed it flat against the counter, his hands were on either side of the paper and his head was dropped down over it as curses slipped from his lips every few moments as he read the article that accompanied the photographs. Molly hadn't moved and still looked extremely shocked._

 _Everyone was staring at Harry, worry drawing their eyebrows together. Something awful must have happened._

 _"That fucking bitch!" Harry screamed, his hands jumping to his already messy hair and pulling on it slightly – he looked truly deranged._

 _Ron jumped to his feet and joined the crowd that was pushing in on Harry to see what it was he was looking at._

 _"Here come some more owls," Molly said now that she was in control of herself again, gesturing through the window._

 _Seven more owls delivered copies of the Prophet and everyone was crowded around the table looking at the photos and yelling at each other – trying to place the blame._

 _"I should have known!" Tonks yelled, "Draco Malfoy was being strange about her during the Greengrass raid. He said he wouldn't let her come back even if she wanted to!"_

 _"She looks like a prostitute," Fred said, glowering at the paper._

 _"Albus?! Have you seen this?!"_

 _"We need to get this turned around! She's blaming us for ridiculous things – she's definitely been swayed by that snake standing beside her."_

 _"She's got the fucking Dark Mark on her arm!"_

 _Bill Weasley was sitting still and calmly reading the article that accompanied the photos that everyone was still arguing about. He didn't want to admit it but he felt that a lot of the things Hermione had said in the interview were true – he had been wondering about the path his family was taking for quite some time, led by their noses by Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. He also couldn't help but notice that Hermione and Draco Malfoy seemed to be truly in love – the thought was startling but she looked happy._

 _"How much of this do you think is true?" he asked loudly, trying to command attention. He needed to hear what other people would say._

 _"Probably none of it," Mad-Eye Moody snarled. "That little jumped-up bitch is nothing but a liar and she's trying to ruin us!"_

 _Bill tried to meet everyone's eyes but no one was looking his way since they were so focussed on the papers in front of them. Remus Lupin eventually looked up and Bill could see the confusion in his friends' eyes – wondering whether they had been told the full truth about everything or if there were certain things being kept quiet. Lupin and Bill gave each other a somewhat confused look before going back to reading the article that was spread out before them._

 _Ginny watched her brother reading the paper and decided that if she wanted continue with her farce she'd need to read the article since she really had no idea about what it actually said._

 _"Do you think the part about Ron is true? It couldn't be, could it? He wouldn't do that…"_

 _Bill couldn't help but blurt the words out upon reading them and he was sincerely hoping that someone, anyone, would help alleviate his fears about his family._

 _"Of course it isn't true!" Molly snapped at her son, "He doesn't need to force himself on anyone! He's a good looking boy and any girl out there would be happy to have him. How dare you even question him?!"_

 _Bill thought back and realized that those words weren't exactly true, Ron had been having trouble with females since he became interested in them and he always had self-esteem issues since he had five older brothers to contend with._

 _"What about this bit about Harry?! Attacking her with a curse meant to kill her?"_

 _"She's a dirty fucking liar!" Seamus Finnegan yelled, astounded by the accusations. A lot of the younger members of the Order agreed with him heartily, patting him on the back._

 _"Harry wouldn't do that! He loves her… she's trying to justify leaving us without a word. For getting engaged to that foul piece of shit. For the Mark on her left arm. She's as bad as they are, now, and she deserves everything that comes to her."_

 _"Everyone's going to be looking for her now," Remus said, managing to sound sad about that fact. "She put herself out there as a specific target for us and she's going to pay because of it. People won't stand for this."_

 _Ginny looked around and her eyes landed on Neville Longbottom – everyone thought the boy was somewhat dim but Ginny knew that he was actually very smart. He was quiet because he observed everyone around him in order to read between the lines. He didn't look convinced and she shuffled over to him so she could read the article quickly, battling away the tears in her eyes because the article was so well done. She knew every word was true and it was killing her listening to her family and friends tear Hermione down so ruthlessly. Ginny looked around and watched as Harry and Ron slipped out of the kitchen with an article of the paper since no one but Dumbledore was watching them._

 _She got Neville's attention and the two of them followed Harry and Ron silently down the hallways until they entered the empty sitting room – Ginny pressed her finger to her lips so they could hear what the two other men were saying and Neville nodded and shifted so he was closer to the door._

 _"Marrying Draco fucking Malfoy?! Is she for real? I hope he fucks her over," Harry was snarling, the betrayal and hurt obvious in his voice._

 _"He will. He'll fuck her and chuck her for sure when he realizes what an awful lay she is."_

 _"This doesn't even make sense – there's no way that he'd actually care about her. And why the hell is Voldemort trying to prove now that he has no problem with Muggleborns? Everyone knows that's not true."_

 _"I'm not even going to pretend that I understand any of the things Voldemort does."_

 _Harry flipped the pages back to the photos of Hermione and Draco and groaned aloud, shifting a little bit on the couch as Ginny narrowed her eyes at him and two pink spots appeared high on Neville's cheeks._

 _"She's fucking hot," he said to Ron._

 _"I know – I've always known that. I'm glad I got a piece of her before she disappeared."_

 _"I wish I had. I'm jealous now – I mean, Merlin, look at this picture of her." Harry gestured to the photo of Hermione in her black dress and shifted again on the couch, groaning quietly._

 _"Got a hard-on?" Ron asked lightly, almost laughing._

 _"Fuck off. You know what, though?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"It will be so much better to know that when I get my hands on her I won't only be hurting her, but I'll be hurting Malfoy too even if he doesn't care about her. She'll still be his wife and it will kill him to know one of his biggest enemies got to her. That's the opportunity you didn't get – you only got to fuck her around."_

 _"You want her?"_

 _Harry inspected the picture again for a moment. "More than anyone else."_

 _They sat in silence for a moment and Ron said, "Did you actually read the article, though? She called us out and Malfoy… he's going to be looking for us specifically. Did you see where he said he'd do anything to ensure she was safe? We need to watch our backs."_

 _"On top of that, everyone is going to be questioning why they're backing the Order after they read this. Hermione let everyone know what you did to her, Ron, as well as what I did. No holds – I mean what if people believe it?!"_

 _"No one's going to believe that, Harry. Get a grip."_

 _"I'm going to ruin that fucking bitch and leave her on the brink of death for her pathetic fiancé to find."_

/

Hermione stared at Ginny before both women turned and watched as Draco stormed out of the room. He hadn't said a word during the memory-reveal and Hermione was suddenly worried.

"Draco," she called, following after him with Ginny on her heels. It didn't take long to find him, he was standing outside the Manor with his hands jammed deep into his pockets. "Don't let it get to you," Hermione said soothingly, reaching out and brushing her hand down his arm.

"They're going to be hunting for you, Hermione. I can't believe I didn't think about that before this article was put out."

"Who cares?! I'll kill anyone who gets close enough to me, Draco, and we both know how powerful I'm going to be."

"If I so much as see Harry Potter within five yards of you I'll kill him myself. I know Tom wants him for whatever reason, probably for being such a fucking pain in the ass all these years, but I'll go against my orders and do it."

Hermione didn't say anything, just continued to rub his arm lightly.

"I'm serious Hermione. It's my job to ensure your safety and I'll fuck anyone up who even so much as looks at you cross eyed."

"I can defend myself, you know."

"I know that, goddammit, but this is a personal vendetta. They've already done enough to you as it is and I swear to fucking Merlin I will destroy them."

 **Don't forget to review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N- It has been a seriously crazy week, but I'm still sorry it took so long for me to get this posted! I had great feedback on my last chapter and I really didn't mean to take so long but I had so much going on I truly couldn't even spare the time to get on here and post! One of my great friends had a baby the same night we were at the banquet we've been planning for months (of course!) but I'm so happy for them, it was a surprise because she was about twenty days early, but I think it was just all of the excitement from the night.**

 **So I'm thinking if I get some seriously good reviews today for this chapter I'll post the next one tomorrow! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

"Good evening," Tom said from outside the sitting room door, knocking before he entered.

"Tom," Draco said, inclining his head slightly. Hermione was sitting at the table with Narcissa going over colour schemes for their upcoming wedding.

Draco was standing at the window looking out toward the front of the house. He'd watched as his father appeared alone and strode up the drive looking wary and tired – Draco knew that it could only mean one thing. Especially now that Tom had shown up alone to speak to them.

Draco sighed and moved toward his fiancée – he thought deep down that Hermione already knew her parents were dead and gone, but she was in denial and continued waiting for Lucius to appear.

"Good evening, Tom, would you like some tea?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the tea set out on the table to their right.

"No thank you, Hermione. I'd actually like if you could all come and sit down so I can speak to you for a moment."

Hermione and Narcissa rose from the table and Draco moved forward to guide Hermione to the couch. He helped her sit before taking a seat beside her, taking her hand and holding onto it tightly. She looked at him curiously but directed her attention to Tom after a moment – he looked agitated.

"Hermione," he started seriously, and her hand spasmed in Draco's for a moment. "Lucius has returned."

"Great," she said, sitting forward. "Did he bring my parents here with him?" She sounded so happy that Draco's heart clenched for a moment, knowing her joy would be smashed within moments.

"No, Hermione, he didn't bring your parents here."

"Are they staying elsewhere?" She asked, sounding a little bit unsure.

"No, Hermione. It took Lucius and his men almost two weeks to find where your parents were living. They finally found their house but when they went in… Hermione…"

"No," she whispered, a hand lifting to cover her horrified mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Lucius said from the doorway, and he really did look upset. He entered the room and made his way to his wife, who he sat beside – she took his hand in hers and looked at her future daughter in law. Hermione was pressed against Draco's side looking down into her lap, tears falling onto her jeans.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I think its best that you just know they had been killed a few days before we arrived but I don't think you need to know the details."

"Tell me what fucking happened," she snarled, her head snapping up as her eyes pierced into Lucius'.

"Hermione. I'm not going to tell you the details no matter how mad you get about it, you don't need to envision it. We went to their house and went to extract them to find that they'd already been found and killed. I know it was magical but again, I won't be giving you any details."

Hermione stood up quickly and ripped her hand out of Draco's grasp.

"I deserve to know!" she yelled, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "My parents were murdered and I deserve to know what happened!"

"I'm so sorry," Lucius said again, but Hermione didn't want to hear it. She turned away from the group and stormed out of the room, her heels stomping on the floor.

Draco sighed. "Fuck," he growled, upset that Hermione was hurting so bad. "Did you have to upset her more than she already was? You should have told her what happened and let her deal with it."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lucius snapped, "What good would it have done to let her know that her father was killed outright so that her mother could be tortured and raped, Draco? I was protecting that girl and you should be thanking me instead of blaming me!"

Draco knew his father was right but he was upset by the circumstances in general.

"I'm going to check on her," he said, getting to his feet and following his fiancée.

/

Hermione didn't speak to anyone for two days, Draco included. She had shut herself in her own world and spent way more time than necessary in the bathroom with the door locked but Draco didn't comment on it. He let her do things her own way without pushing her – she was strong but obviously this was just another way to try and drag her down, another way to add more chinks to her armour. Hermione's dreams were back with a vengeance and Draco woke up numerous times a night to her groaning, where he'd continue to lay still and watch her with a worried crease in his forehead between his eyes.

On the third day she asked Draco to have lunch with her, which he did willingly, and kissed him on the lips before bed.

On the fourth day she went down for dinner with the rest of the family, but even though they'd tried to include her in conversations she'd kept her mouth shut and eaten her meal in silence. Their friends had shown up after she'd retired to bed to offer their condolences but she wasn't there to hear them. Blaise took that opportunity to apologize to Draco for the things he'd said and since there were new things on his mind and new worry in his heart for his fiancée he accepted the apology immediately with a firm hug and a clap on the back.

On the fifth day Hermione had basically attacked Draco before bed, kissing him fervently. That was the first time she'd gotten naked in front of anyone willingly and she even allowed Draco to go down on her – reciprocating the favour with her usually swotty attitude. Questioning him constantly about what she was doing so she could ensure she was pleasuring him, which she did. Apparently she'd read about it a lot, or so she'd told him while he snuggled her naked body against his underneath the sheet – Lord, she was soft.

On the sixth day she hunted Lucius down in his study and apologized to him for her reaction and the behaviour she'd been exhibiting since. She'd told him that she had already had a feeling the news wouldn't be good but she still had a hard time accepting it, of course. She assured him that she was moving past it and asked him if he'd do the honours of walking her down the aisle, since her own father obviously wouldn't be able to have that joy.

On the seventh day she'd told Draco that she would do everything in her power to destroy the Order of the Phoenix for taking everything away from her and admitted that if she didn't have him and his family in her life she probably would have put herself out of her misery. That comment worried Draco more than anything else and he vowed to watch her closely from there on out.

Hermione was ready to get back to training after a week of mourning her parents and Draco jumped at the opportunity to have her back in the gym with him and his men – ever since he'd seen the memories that Ginny had supplied he'd been a maniac towards the other members of the troupe, making them exercise and work out harder than before. When Hermione returned to the training sessions the men thought that she got the worst of it – for whatever reason Draco was being very hard on the girl. She had to soak in the tub almost every night because her muscles were so sore and her body was aching so badly but she was appreciative of it because it kept her mind off of the fact that the Order had her parents murdered.

Hermione had to get all of her clothes tailored after three weeks went by because she'd toned up so much and everything was a little baggy and made her feel slightly frumpy.

She already had stomach muscles and her arms and legs were toning up quite nicely. After another week went by she began sleeping through the night again, her nightmares were still there but they weren't as vivid as they had previously been; she thought it was because she had someone there to keep her anchored. Draco had a habit of sleeping with his arm around her waist, holding her body do his tightly with her butt snuggled in his lap.

They'd explored their sexual relationship but Hermione still couldn't bring herself to have sex with him – it was terrifying, but he was true to his word and never tried to push it on her at all.

Hermione entered the gym to work on her knife skills and grinned when she saw that Greg was holding an outfit made of dragon hide.

"This came for you," he said, extending his arms to pass her the outfit. Hermione squealed in excitement and took the shirt and pants out of his hands, holding them up to her body.

"Finally!"

"You've come a long way," Vince said approvingly. "You've earned it, Hermione."

"Thank you," she whispered, turning her head away from the men for a moment until she could get a hold of her emotions; they'd been a little closer to the surface the last few weeks but she hated showing them too much.

"I want you to try the arena," Draco said from beside her and she looked at him in surprise. "You've done well with the targets but it's time for you to get in there and use those knives against a real threat."

"Okay," Hermione said, agreeing completely. She set down her new outfit and walked to the board of knives, picking up every single throwing knife on it; Draco had duplicated the ones she was in favour of so she had plenty of the same knife. She pulled out an ankle strap as well as straps for her wrists and loaded them with knives – two per strap – and then held the rest in her hands in a tight grip, approaching the arena nervously.

"You ready?!" Blaise called, and Hermione looked toward his voice to see him standing beside the activation switch. She gulped nervously but when her eyes met Draco's she knew that she needed to learn to do this against actual enemies, she needed to be practiced enough to defend her friends if the need ever arose as well as keep herself safe. She wanted to show Draco that she could defend herself and that he didn't need to be insanely worried about her.

"Ready," she agreed in a strong voice, focusing on the arena and not on the men watching her.

As the ghostly figures appeared everything seemed to slow down for her; she saw one enemy appear behind her, but he was much farther away than the one advancing on her from the side. She gripped a knife in her hand and swung her arm out as she turned toward the one behind her, slitting the throat of the ghost beside her with her off hand while throwing a knife at the one approaching from the back with her dominant hand, catching him in the forehead and dropping him like a sack of flour.

She tried to keep as many knives in her hands as possible because that was one of the downfalls of using throwing knives as a weapon – you literally threw them away and would possibly never get them back. She could always duplicate more but if she was in a serious battle she wouldn't have time. She had thrown seven of the eight she was carrying and once the final one left her grip and buried itself in an enemy's neck she quickly took the four in her wrist straps so she wasn't left with nothing and vulnerable – she'd leave the two in her ankle as a last resort.

Hermione ruthlessly stabbed two approaching enemies on opposite sides of her body right through their throats simultaneously and then the arena was suddenly deactivated. Time sped back up for her and she looked round, shocked to see the amount of ghosts she had taken out; the men were whooping and clapping and Draco started walking toward her quickly. She dropped her knives and allowed herself to be pulled into a tight hug that lifted her feet from the floor, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he spun her for a second. "That was fucking amazing!" he exclaimed, looking deeply into her eyes. "I knew you'd rock it!"

"It felt good!" she said, hugging him around the neck tightly. "It felt natural."

He set her lightly on her feet and started walking around collecting her knives from the floor; the ghosts had disappeared after the arena deactivated so her knives were just laying around.

"We might not get the chance to collect them when we're at actual raids, so after you take someone out you should try to get it back right away. If it isn't safe for you to do it then don't, it's just a knife, but if you have the opportunity then go for it."

Hermione nodded and helped him pick up her weapons before approaching the other men, "You're definitely ready," Theo said easily, a grin on his face.

"Definitely," Tom said from the doorway, attracting their attention. He was standing just inside the frame with Lucius and Narcissa and Hermione was suddenly embarrassed that they had seen her and Draco share an intimate hug; her cheeks flamed and Draco gave her a small smile and a lewd wink, embarrassing her further.

"That was amazing," Lucius said, in complete awe.

"You've never been in here before," Blaise pointed out, and Lucius and Narcissa both looked a little bit put out by that fact.

"You think I'm amazing?" Hermione asked as she unstrapped her weapon holsters from her wrists and ankles. "You should see these five! I've got nothing on them."

Lucius and Tom entered the gym fully, Lucius looking around carefully; he had never been in there because he didn't care about exercising but he hadn't realized quite how huge it was or what it all contained – the training field was simply genius. Tom commissioned the building of the gym and Lucius knew he visited the boys there, but he'd never thought to tag along… he'd had no idea what he'd been missing. Narcissa entered a little hesitantly, her nose wrinkling; Hermione had to wonder if it stunk and she just didn't notice because she'd spent most of her time there.

"Let's see what you've got, boys," Tom said, taking a seat on an empty bench. Hermione sat on the floor in front of Draco's legs and leaned against them comfortably and he dropped his hand to her hair immediately, rubbing her scalp gently. Vince and Greg walked forward to their weapons and Blaise manned the controls of the arena. The young men went through their skills systematically while everyone watched in awe; Hermione had seen it happen numerous times and she still couldn't believe it.

"You've come a long way with that bow, Blaise," Tom said, cementing in Lucius' mind that he needed to spend more time in the gym with the boys… and Hermione. He felt oddly disconnected from the group – Tom had a different type of comradery with the boys than Lucius did, he was a father and 'Lord Malfoy' – very rarely Lucius.

"I think there's something to this," Lucius said. "No one will expect it and I almost feel like everyone should be learning different tactics for the final battle."

"Some people have no interest learning these types of things, Lucius, and us older ones wouldn't be able to keep up with their gym regime. This troupe is in the gym almost all day every day except Sundays. That's a lot of time and effort, and you being in the gym all those hours would take your focus away from the next important plan I have for you."

"Of course," Lucius said.

"What plan?" Draco asked, looking at his father curiously.

"We've decided that Lucius is going to take place of the Minister of Magic once we cement our takeover of the ministry."

"Really?!" Draco asked, proud of his father – he knew he'd make a wonderful minister and he really did deserve it after so many years. He was going to say more but a loud CRACK! cut him off and a small distressed looking house elf appeared in the middle of the group.

"Masters house is being attacked," the little elf squeaked.

"Who is your master?" Tom demanded, jumping to his feet immediately.

"The Parkinson's, Sir."

"Fuck," Lucius shouted. Even though they'd been on the outs since Draco started dating Hermione they were still long-time friends.

"Get your gear on," Tom demanded of the teenagers. "Be in the entrance hall within ten minutes. Hermione, I'm interested to see how you do out there."

"You'll be joining us?!"

"Of course I'll be there," Tom said, distracted, and he ran out of the room with Lucius and the Parkinson house elf on his heels.

"He wasn't at the Greengrass estate," Hermione pointed out to Draco.

"No, he wasn't, but he always sends the proper amount of reinforcements to any distress calls we receive, even if he can't be there," Draco pointed out, sounding a little bit defensive.

"I know, I'm just surprised he's coming is all."

"Come on guys!" Vince shouted from the closet, handing out the appropriate gear as everyone began dressing. Hermione wasn't going to wear all of her clothes under her dragon hide so she ran into the bathroom to change. She came out in her dragon hide and Draco threw her a black robe to put on overtop, she was tying her boots back up when Draco came toward her, totally decked out in his gear. He held Hermione's holsters for her knives and helped her strap them on so they weren't too tight but were still snug.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked, feeling nervous and uncomfortable about Hermione joining them on the mission to the Parkinson Estate.

"I'm okay," she answered before grinning up at him. "Nervous as fuck, but alright."

"Okay, I think you're ready. We'll put our masks on when we're ready to go."

"Draco!" Hermione called as he started to turn away. He turned back to her, startled. "Please be safe and focus on yourself – don't be watching out for me and get yourself hurt."

"You be safe! I know you can handle yourself but I'm worried."

"I… I just… we can do this," Hermione said, changing her mind about her words at the last moment.

"We can," he agreed, taking her by the back of the head and planting a hard kiss on her mouth. "Remember your training."

The group ran from the gym to the entrance hall. Hermione felt heavy and was suddenly grateful that Draco had made her train in the heavy gear she'd been given when she first started in the gym. Her boots were making a bit of noise because she had yet to master the art of running silently but she was much quieter than when she'd first started.

"I was sent a distress call from Parkinson Manor less than ten minutes ago! According to one of their house elves who escaped they were descended upon rapidly by the Order of the Phoenix. They need all the help they can get so let's go!" Tom shouted, placing his mask over his face. Draco and his troupe followed his example and they all clapped each other on the back before apparating away. Hermione had never been to the Parkinson Estate, so she had to be side-along apparated by Draco, who held her close and tenderly, worried sick about what was going to happen.

"Let's go kick some Order ass!" Theo shouted once everyone had appeared. Draco took Hermione's hand and pulled her forward and through the doors, giving it a squeeze before dropping it and immediately firing off hexes at their adversaries.

Hermione broke away from the group when she spotted Tonks. She'd heard about the witch spouting off at the mouth about how the Death Eaters had been the ones to hurt her. About how Draco had raped her – Draco and everyone else that was important to her. The only people she had in her life anymore, really.

Hermione stretched her wand out and shouted the tripping jinx at the metamorphmagus, catching her in the side and sending her sprawling on the floor.

"Got you now," Hermione said under her breath, advancing on the witch.

"Confringo!" she yelled, hoping to catch the witch's robes on fire, but she rolled away before the spell hit her and levelled her wand back at Hermione.

"Reducto!" Tonks screamed, the spell flying wide and missing Hermione by meters.

"Diffindo!" Hermione called back and hit a shield charm that Tonks had put up seconds ago.

"I know it's you Hermione," Tonks said, a chilling quality to her voice. "You may have a mask on but your voice is the same and your mannerisms haven't changed in the slightest, which is surprising considering you're Malfoy's little whore, now. I would have expected you to be the best little mudblood pedigree they could find."

"You don't know the first thing about my life," Hermione said, annoyed at being called a little lapdog but taking it in her stride.

"I know you've spread lie after lie about Harry and Ron to try and keep your reputation stellar."

"That's bullshit – I wouldn't lie about anything like that and I didn't have to – they did what they did and it's time they paid the price."

Tonks laughed, _fucking laughed_ , and then dropped the bomb. "Maybe they did do everything you said, but I don't really blame them. You've always been a self-righteous stick in the mud, but after meeting your mother I can't say I'm surprised."

"What did you just say?!" Hermione asked, deadly calm for a moment. "What the fuck did you just say to me?!" She shouted, advancing closer to Tonks with her wand brandishing in the air in front of her. She could feel her power bubbling deep inside her chest and felt like she was going to explode, but her chest felt somewhat tight around her lungs, which was strange.

"Your mother," Tonks said, a sneer on her face that reminded Hermione suddenly that Tonks was a descendant of the Black line.

"How the fuck would you know?!" Hermione asked. "You've never met my mother, _Nymphadora_."

"I met her a few days ago," Tonks answered with a chilling smile.

Hermione felt the magic in her chest shift around the tight spot and shoot into her arm. Before she could even think about what she was going to do and the consequences from it she screamed, "Avada Kedavra!" Her spell hit Tonks directly in the chest and she dropped to the floor, not even a blink of her eye before she was dead.

"Fucking bitch!" Hermione screamed at the body, wishing she could do more, hurt her more – make her _fucking pay_ with more than just a quick death from one curse. _Should have tortured the werewolves whore a little bit_ , Hermione thought to herself angrily as she stared at the empty eyes before her.

A spell shot by her head and Hermione spun around, broken from her strange trance but still angrier than she could ever remember being – she felt almost blinded by the rage pounding through her system. She ran from Tonks' body and up a flight of stairs, dismissing other members of the Order in her search for Ron or Harry. She wouldn't look for Dumbledore because she knew that he wouldn't be there, but Harry and Ron would be, no doubt, and they deserved to pay for what had happened to her parents – she just knew that they'd been involved.

A shock of red hair caught her attention and she ran down the hall in her heavy gear, dodging spells that weren't meant for her and throwing herself through the doorway behind the redhead.

It wasn't Ron, but George. Not quite what she wanted but it would do for the moment. "Hello, George," she said conversationally, as though they were old friends meeting for tea.

"Hermione," he said immediately, inclining his head. "I'm surprised at you."

"Oh really? I was going to say the same thing. Torturing and raping poor Daphne Greengrass for _weeks_. You fucking disgust me! You're just like your goddamned no good brother."

"Diffindo!" George yelled, and the curse caught Hermione in the side of her shoulder, staggering her for a moment.

A wild laugh tore from her throat, "Just like him!" she said, before turning to George and screaming, somewhat hysterically, "Sectumsempra!"

The curse hit George in the side of the body, but that was enough. He was blown backwards off of his feet and even did a few rotations in the air before crashing into the wall behind him, his wand flying out of his temporarily limp hand as he smashed into the stone. Blood began pooling around him on the floor as he shouted in pain.

Hermione watched him for a few moments and knew it would take a while for him to die. She stepped forward with her wand and ripped George's shirt open, kneeling down in front of his trembling body and taking in the cut that bisected his torso. She reached into her left sleeve and pulled out one of her knives – ignoring his screams as she did what she wanted to do, turning away from him after a couple minutes and heading for the door. She stopped in the threshold and turned back to look at her handy work.

"Rapist," was cut into George's chest in large letters, dripping blood. He screamed again, a garbled sound, and she closed the door tightly.

/

Hermione ran through the halls, noticing there was a lot less fighting than there had been before she'd found George – she'd only been sidetracked for a maximum of ten minutes, but things changed quickly, apparently. She wanted to find her troupe but had no idea where to go… she really shouldn't have separated from the men – it was a large manor and they could be miles away. She'd turned a corner and ran right into another Death Eater, both of them tipping backward away from each other and almost hitting the floor.

"Sorry!"

"Blaise?"

"Oh thank Merlin you're here, Draco's freaking out wondering where you are."

"Was just taking care of business," she answered, and Blaise could hear the vindictiveness in her voice.

"This way," he said, taking her by the arm and dragging her back the way he'd come. They were running down the open staircase and Hermione realized most of the fighting was being done in the entrance hall now instead of everywhere in the house. She saw, almost in slow motion, Arthur Weasley point his wand at a Death Eaters back – a Death Eater that was part of her troupe, by the looks of the boots the person was wearing. Hermione noticed at the last raid that no one else wore matching boots.

"No!" she screamed into the noise as a curse tore from Arthur's wand and hit the Death Eater directly in the back. The force of the spell spun him through the air and his hood flipped off of his head, revealing the light brown hair, and when he hit the floor his mask ripped off of his face and skidded a few feet away across the marble floor.

"Theo!" she screamed, but no one could hear her other than Blaise, who groaned loudly and ran faster down the stairs to his fallen boyfriend, leaving Hermione on her own.

Hermione turned on the stairs and pointed her own wand at Arthur Weasley shouting, "Reducto!" The spell hit him in the arm and blew it to bits, blood and bone flying everywhere and spattering the people on the right side of his body. The people closest to him shouted out and ran toward him as he screamed on the floor, his wand rolling away from a couple of his fingers on the floor. He was screaming loudly, completely horrified that his forearm was no longer part of his body and had been blown to pieces, but she blocked it out and looked back to where Theo had been and saw blood covering the floor around him as Blaise lifted the other man and apparated away.

"Where's Draco?" Hermione asked herself, turning to see two Order members advancing on her for her stunt – Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Hermione put up her most powerful shield charm and ran in the opposite direction, determined to find her fiancé. She was looking at the boots of the people around her and entered a door, a curse catching her in the arm upon entering and flinging her to the side – her wand flew out of her hand when she hit the floor with a jarring pain that caused her teeth to sink into her tongue and the coppery taste of blood to fill her mouth. She watched her wand clatter away through watering eyes – it stopped its progress when it hit the wall at least fifteen feet away and she knew then that she was really in for it.

"Gotcha!" Seamus Finnegan said gleefully, Dean Thomas sniggering at his side.

"Crucio!" the coloured boy yelled and Hermione was instantly convulsing on the floor, horrible pain ripping through her body. It felt like millions of white hot needles were piercing her skin in every pore and her nerves were all on fire – her ligaments and muscles tearing from her very bones.

"Had enough yet, Death Eater?" Seamus asked cruelly as her screaming died down. "And now that I know you're a female I might have something else for you."

"Get the fuck away from me!" Hermione screamed, disgusted by the idiots around her and the thick taste of blood in her mouth.

"Crucio!" Seamus screamed at her, causing the entire thing to start again. He held the curse on her longer than Dean had, and in the small corner of her mind Hermione had to wonder if she was going to die here like this. Draco would want to kill himself if Hermione didn't make it through her first raid – she'd told him she would be safe and that he didn't need to watch out for her but she knew that he'd blame himself.

Seamus removed the curse after what felt like forever and Hermione could barely move because she was so drained of energy, so tired she could barely even scream. She opened her eyes beneath her mask and saw Seamus hovering over her, an obvious tent in his pants that told her he was enjoying the torture he was inflicting on her.

"Fuck off," she said quietly. She didn't have the energy to scream at him again. He dropped to his knees beside her reached for her mask, but she hit out at him blindly and he cursed as her fist connected with his nose.

"Fucking bitch!" he snarled, hitting her in the face with a clenched fist and despite the mask she wore, it still hurt – she felt her cheekbone split open. Seamus put his wand in his back pocket before pulling her dazed body around so her legs were around his waist.

"No, no, no," she breathed, starting to panic. She looked around wildly and noticed that Dean was nowhere to be seen, so at least she wouldn't have to kill him too. She forced the panic down and tried to stay calm and alert as Seamus unzipped his pants and pulled her torso closer, fumbling underneath her robes. He realized she had pants on and swore as he reached around to grab his wand – to vanish them, no doubt – and that's when Hermione ripped a knife from its holster and slammed it into his throat. He choked and reached up to feel the handle of the knife protruding from his neck, but Hermione was on an adrenaline high again and scrambled backward away from him, his blood soaking into her robes before she kicked him in the chest and sent him sprawling backward.

She jumped to her feet and rushed to her wand, running on stumbling legs from the room through a door that was behind a large desk.

Dean was there, his wand pointing at a girl with dark hair and barely any clothes on – tears were spilling down her cheeks rapidly and Hermione was confused for a moment before she realized Dean had his dick in his hand and was making Pansy strip for him at wandpoint.

"Stupefy!" she yelled, and Dean hit the floor the next second. Hermione pulled her mask off and saw Pansy's eyes widen for a moment, shocked that the girl would even think to help her after what Pansy had done to her.

"Pansy! Get dressed quickly and I'll get you out of here!"

"I don't know where my wand is!"

"Take his," Hermione said, pointing at the wand that had rolled away and stopped when it touched Pansy's shoes. The girl bent down and grabbed the wand, summoning her clothes and own wand before dressing quickly.

"You have to get out of here," Hermione said breathlessly. "Go to Malfoy Manor – it's safe there."

"I don't know where my parents are," the girl cried.

"I don't either but I'm sure they're fine. Just go!"

Pansy looked down at Dean's body on the floor and kicked him the chest, hard, before saying, "Thanks Granger," and disapparating.

Hermione put her mask back on and turned from the room. She ran back through the room she'd been in previously, giving Seamus' body a wide birth before remembering what Draco said and going back to retrieve her knife. She was slowing down again, her muscles screaming in protest as she moved, but she couldn't leave until she found Draco.

She went down another hallway and heard screaming voices coming from an open door – one sounded suspiciously like her fiancé's so she followed the noises and leaned heavily on the outside of the doorframe, listening.

He was fighting Ernie Macmillan, a boy who was in her year but part of the Hufflepuff house. Draco wasn't wearing a mask again and Hermione had to wonder how he'd lost them so often, but she was brought back to the duel Draco was having with the other man when she heard her name.

"We know you did something to Hermione, you piece of shit! She was pliable and did everything Harry and Ron told her to for years and then suddenly she's against us and marrying you?! That's way too suspicious for us to ignore."

"You don't know the first thing about Hermione you fucking piece of trash," Draco yelled back, sending a cutting curse at the man on the other side of the room.

"I know she's a whore and fucked Ron Weasley before she left – then when she had an opportunity she said he'd raped her so her reputation wasn't ruined."

Hermione was scandalized – was that what the Order was spreading around?

"Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled in his low baritone voice. Ernie's wand flew directly into his hand and Draco said, "Levicorpus," almost immediately. Ernie was hanging upside down by his ankle, an invisible rope holding him still.

"Did you hear what he was saying about you, love?" Draco asked and looked toward the doorway. Hermione entered and removed her mask, an action which caused Draco's eyes to narrow at the blood covering the lower half of her face and soaking her robes.

"You're hurt!" he exclaimed, rushing toward her and Hermione felt her knees weaken almost right after the words came out of his mouth. Her muscles weren't working properly but she'd promised herself she'd stay upright as long as Draco was still in the house – now that she'd found him it seemed that her body had had enough. He grabbed onto her and helped her stay upright but he pulled his hand away to see that it was crimson. His face paled.

"I'm okay," she said almost breathlessly, the words jumbled somewhat due to her sheer exhaustion.

"Well, Macmillan, it looks like today's your lucky day. As you can see my fiancée has been injured and as much as I'd love to stay and torture you, it seems I need to get her home."

"So you're going to let me go?!" Ernie sounded elated.

"No," Draco answered in a cold, haughty tone, causing the hopeful smile to fall from Ernie's lips immediately. "Incendio!" Ernie's robes went up in flames as Draco cast another curse to ensure the room itself wouldn't catch fire before he pocketed the man's wand.

Ernie's screams tore through the air as the flames engulfed his entire body, but Draco ignored it and turned to Hermione, taking her into his arms and turning on the spot.

They were gone long before the charred husk of Ernie Macmillan was found hanging from the ceiling of a guest bedroom.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N- Two chapter in two days?! Yes. That's happening and I do have my reasons. I feel bad that I made you guys wait almost a week before I was able to post the last chapter, so that's reason one. Reason two is because I'm super nervous and somewhat excited about this chapter, but mostly nervous. This will not be the first time this happens with this story for one reason or another and when I say I'm nervous I mean like... I cannot wait to hear everyone's reactions to what's written down there... so please, please, please let me know! I beg of you!**

 **... So nervous...**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

"I need a Healer!" Draco shouted somewhat hysterically the second they'd appeared in his family's home. Hermione stumbled and fell onto the floor, Draco tried to reach out with his blood-covered hands to grab her but he was too slow – she groaned when she hit the floor without any resistance – she didn't even put her hands out to stop herself.

Her head hit the floor and blood started pooling around her right side – he had no idea where it was coming from and was feeling pretty hysterical. Pansy Parkinson appeared out of nowhere and Draco almost lost it, he didn't have time for her bullshit right now.

"They're all busy right now," Pansy said, sniffling. "There're empty rooms, though, so I can help you at least get her to a bed."

"I can walk," Hermione said, trying to push herself to her feet. The words came out as completely unintelligible to Draco and Pansy even though she wasn't aware of it. Her sliced open right arm screamed in pain as she put her body weight on it – it was worse than the bone-deep ache that was plaguing the rest of her body. She groaned aloud and collapsed again, her eyes fluttering.

"Fuck," Draco said, feeling completely out of control of his emotions. He moved forward and picked Hermione up gently, snuggling her body close to his as he began walking toward the sick rooms.

"This one's empty," Pansy said, opening a door and ushering them inside.

Draco settled Hermione on the bed and took in her injuries. The cut on her face looked worse now than it had at the Parkinson Manor – it was deep and the skin around it was an angry red. He realized the lower half of her face was bloody because she'd bitten into her tongue at one point. He pulled her hood off and began to remove her outer robes, trying to see where the blood was coming from.

"Draco," she giggled, and he could barely make out her words. "Not right now, I'm tired!"

"I just need to get this robe off, okay, love?"

Pansy grimaced upon hearing the term of endearment slip so easily from her ex boyfriend's tongue. She'd never been called anything even remotely nice by him, and it didn't escape her notice that Hermione was hinting they had a sex life – the realization felt almost like a punch to the stomach and the jealousy and anger Pansy felt toward the brunette came back with a vengeance.

Hermione made another noise that was probably supposed to be words but he still couldn't understand her. He shifted her around as he lifted her robe up her legs and then hips – he sat her up and pulled it up to her neck and was relieved when Pansy helped him pull the robe over Hermione's head. She giggled again and this time blood bubbled from her lips.

"Fuck," he said loudly. "I need a healer!"

"Aren't you a healer?" Pansy asked, her left eyebrow raised slightly.

"Yes I'm a _fucking_ healer but I can't help her! I'm too involved and can't concentrate on the actual healing part. Not with her like this!"

Pansy's eyes teared up for a moment when she realized that Draco did truly love Hermione – he'd never treated her the way he was treating the brunette on the bed. He'd never been so worried about her that his eyes took on a panicky, frightened look and he'd certainly never treated her so tenderly. She watched him for a few moments, her heart heavy in her chest, and then stood up and left the room.

Draco took the opportunity to try and get Hermione's shirt off but he couldn't do it alone since it was long sleeved. After struggling with her limp form for a moment he spied the cut in the dragon hide on her arm and stuck his finger in it – that's where all the blood was coming from – someone used the severing charm on her, again, and the dragon hide was really no match for that. It was better for blunt attacks.

It didn't really explain why she had so much blood on her robes, though. He got on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms, snuggling his face down into her hair as he breathed her scent in deeply – his chest hurt.

"What happened to you?" he whispered as Pansy rushed into the room with a healer in tow.

"Good thinking, Draco! I'd really rather you didn't try and heal a loved one yourself – you aren't in the right head-space and that's never a good thing."

Draco laid Hermione back on the bed and stood at her side as the healer moved forward and started running diagnostic spells, but Draco kept getting in the way and the healer finally turned to him. "I don't know if you're aware that Theodore Nott was brought in about half an hour ago? He'd taken a severe curse to the back and is in room three with the Zabini boy."

"What!?" Draco asked, his eyes wide. His team hadn't been seriously hurt, other than him, in a very long time and now suddenly everyone was getting hurt.

"I'll be right back," Draco whispered to Hermione, who didn't seem to hear him, and kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room to check on his hurt friend.

"Draco!" Pansy called, rushing out of the room behind him and getting him to stop.

"What Pansy?" he asked, suddenly tired. He felt weary.

"I know what happened to Hermione, for the most part."

"Since when do you call her Hermione?" He asked, confused.

"Since she saved me at the Manor…"

"What happened?" he asked, angry that she'd been hurt in the first place.

"I don't know everything because I was hiding in a different room but I heard Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas disarm her as soon as she entered the room. Dean used the Cruciatus Curse on her for a few moments but then I tripped over a chair, sending it flying, and he lifted it to come find me. Seamus, that Irish boy we went to school with? He cast one on her and held it on her for a while – I don't know what else happened but I heard her screaming and then a little scuffle where she kept saying "no" over and over again. Next thing I know she's standing in front of me covered in blood and Dean was stunned."

"Fuck," Draco said, quieter this time, imagining Hermione's plight.

"She really can't catch a break, can she?"

"Oh, so you just suddenly like her now?!"

"Well, I wouldn't say I like her but I definitely don't think she's useless."

"Right," he said, turning away and entering the room Theo was in.

"Are you okay?" he asked his friend immediately upon seeing he was awake and laying on his stomach. His shirt was off and his back was flayed open, a large cut with smaller ones marring the surface of the once smooth skin. Blaise was sitting at his side in an uncomfortable looking chair with tired eyes.

"That fucking bastard hit me with a 'Sectumsempra' in the back," Theo said, his voice somewhat muffled from the pillow beneath his cheek.

"Who?" Draco growled.

"Arthur Weasley."

"Those fucking Weasley's," Draco spat, annoyed that his troupe had been hurt. He hadn't even seen Vince or Greg since almost the moment they joined the fight in the entrance hall.

"Hermione blew his arm off."

"What?!"

"Yeah," Blaise said, sounding proud. "She shot a 'reducto' at him and it hit him right in the arm – blew the fucking thing to smithereens."

"You were with her?" Draco asked, and something in his voice caused both men to look up at him attentively.

"Well I ran into her in the upstairs hallway and was bringing her back to you when Theo got hurt. I don't know what she was doing up there but she seemed pretty smug about it. Anyway, once Theo was hurt I ran to his side and I have no idea where she went but ask her because I'm really quite curious what she was up to."

"I can't ask her right now, Blaise," Draco said, suddenly wanting to wake up and hope everything that had happened was a dream. He was exhausted and beyond worried – his stomach hurt.

"Why not? Is she still at the battle? Is it over?"

"She's not at the battle, she's in sick room seven."

"What?! What happened?! She was completely fine when I saw her."

"I'm not sure – Pansy said something about two boys attacking her and using the Cruciatus Curse on her for a prolonged period of time. Her arm is cut open pretty brutally and her tongue is kind of fucked up – she couldn't speak. I could tell she was trying to talk but the words just didn't make any sense and at one point blood was bubbling at her lips."

"Oh fuck," Blaise said, going to get to his feet.

"She's with a healer right now and he just got me out of there so I doubt he'll want all of us to go rushing in."

"She's going to be okay though, right?"

Draco didn't answer, instead he sat on the side of the bed and put his elbows on his knees – the heels of his hands pushing into his eyes.

"She'll be fine," Theo said from his side. "She's strong."

"You didn't see her. She couldn't even walk."

"You've been under the Cruciatus, Draco. You know what it does to your body. She's going to rest for a couple of days and then she'll be back to normal."

"I hope so."

/

Hermione woke slowly but didn't open her eyes right away – she was so fucking tired she felt like she could sleep for a week. Her mouth was dry and she could really use a drink of water but the idea of getting out of bed and going to the bathroom for water just seemed like way too much work.

"She's been sleeping for hours," she heard someone say, and thought maybe it was Greg.

"At least twelve," another voice said. Blaise?

Hermione shifted a little bit and a groan slipped out of her mouth – why was she so goddamned sore? Why were her friends in her bedroom?

She opened her eyes slowly and even that hurt, she'd never had sore eyelids before and didn't even know they could hurt – now that they did she wished to never feel it again. Everything was a little bit blurry and she blinked a few times to try and clear her vision. A blond head was looking down at her suddenly and she could see the relief in his face.

"Good morning," he said.

"More like middle of the night," a voice said from her other side, causing her to turn her head slowly and see who was speaking, realizing as she did that she wasn't in her bedroom at all, but a sick room. All of her favourite men were sitting there grinning at her, Theo seemed a little rough around the edges but regardless of that a small smile broke out on her face before the raid came screaming back to her consciousness.

"You all made it out," she said, her voice raspy.

"Here," Draco said, and she turned back to him to see that he was holding a glass of water, a straw sticking out of it. She tried to lift her arm to take the cup from his hand but it was so heavy and she was just _so fucking tired_.

Draco held the straw firmly and brought it to her lips, allowing her to drink greedily as the cool water washed down her throat – she could even feel it going down through her chest, refreshing her thoroughly.

She drank the entire thing in one go.

"How did everyone do?" she asked, her voice tired but no longer rough with disuse.

"We're alive and safe, that's all that matters other than you and Theo healing properly."

"What happened to Theo?" she asked, and Draco gave her a confused look, his eyebrows drawing together as his eyes looked almost panicked for a moment.

Then she remembered him getting hit in the back and flying forward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud – her turning toward the coward that shot a spell at someone who's back was turned and shooting a 'reducto' at him.

"Oh yeah," she said blearily. "What did Arthur hit him with?"

"Sectumsempra," Draco said. "He's healing well though, so don't worry. Blaise got him here right away and the healers were able to deal with the wounds immediately."

"I feel this shitty because of the Cruciatus?" she asked, vaguely shocked it would cause so much damage and make her so exhausted.

"You'll be better in a few days," Draco promised. "Your muscles need to heal – the Cruciatus causes a lot of muscle and nerve damage but we got you to a healer fairly quickly and you're being fed enough potions to ensure everything will be back to normal in a few days. No working out or anything even slightly strenuous until you're healed completely though. It really is a nasty curse."

Hermione was sleeping again by the time Draco finished speaking.

/

"How are the Parkinson's?" Hermione asked as she sat in her bed eating a small bowl of soup. She'd woken again and no one else was in her room except Draco. She felt a hell of a lot stronger than she did the first time she was awake so she knew the potions were really working for her.

"Shaken up, but good. They're staying here for a few days until their place is put back in order."

"That's nice," Hermione said quietly, eating more soup and trying to be casual but secretly hating that Pansy Parkinson was staying in the house while she was stuck in the sick room. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes while Hermione ate her soup – hoping that she'd be allowed to sleep in her own room soon.

"So what were you up to while you were missing at the estate?" Draco asked her when she'd finished eating and her bowl had been taken away.

"I killed them," she said softly as an answer.

"Killed who?" Draco asked, a little surprised by the plural she'd used. He figured she'd killed the Irish boy Pansy was talking about because if she hadn't there was no way she would have been able to help Pansy with her situation. Plus he'd come to the conclusion that was where most of the blood on her robes had come from – helped along by the fact that he'd noticed one of her knives were bloody and one was missing completely when he was carrying her raid outfit to their room. Draco had no idea who else she was talking about, though, and he found himself almost disturbingly excited to hear the details.

"Nymphadora Tonks, first of all," she said, watching Draco for any hint of anger – they were cousins after all, but a strange look that wasn't even remotely upset flashed in his eyes for a moment. "She started talking shit about my mum and how I'm 'just like her' – she'd never met my mum before and I pointed that out. She told me she'd met her 'a few days ago' before she was killed, told me she'd been there, and I just saw red."

"Aw shit," Draco said, moving from the chair he was sitting on to the foot of her bed. He reached out and grasped her blanket covered leg in his hand, rubbing her calf softly. That couldn't have been easy to hear.

"She was taunting me with the information, Draco, and I just flipped out. Once I'd killed her I went off in search of Ron or Harry because I wanted to fucking destroy them, but I found George instead."

"What happened between the two of you?"

"He knew it was me and acted like I was a terrible person for leaving the Order. I told him he was the horrible one for what he'd done to Daphne Greengrass and that he was exactly like his brother, then he shot a 'Diffindo' at me, that's what cut my arm open, by the way, and I killed him with a 'Sectumsempra'."

"That curse is becoming popular," Draco said lightly, and Hermione shuffled on the bed and gestured for Draco to move closer. He sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her back as she snuggled into his chest, his chin was able to rest on the top of her head.

"I carved 'Rapist' into his chest."

"What?" Draco was shocked when those words came out of her mouth – his tiny little fiancée managed to carve something into a huge bloke's chest?! Lord…

"I did. He was still alive and I wanted to see him suffer at least a little bit for Daphne's sake, so I just grabbed one of my knives and carved the letters into his chest slowly – but the worst part is that I honestly don't even feel bad."

"He deserved it," Draco said seriously, feeling a little aroused by her admission. There was something wrong with him and he knew it, but picturing Hermione doing anything to a person with a knife was a major turn on. He'd _always_ fucking loved girls with knives.

"Then I ran into Blaise and went with him to try and find you, Arthur hurt Theo and I blew his arm off without a second thought. I looked at his fucking fingers on the floor near people's feet, meat and blood was everywhere and I almost wanted to laugh, Draco. The way he was screaming didn't even make me feel bad – not in the slightest. I mean fuck, he'd just attacked Theo, who had his back turned, by the way, and I just… I don't know."

"I still can't believe you did that, and not because I'm disgusted or anything. It's just bloody brilliant."

"Then Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas attacked me – Seamus was going to rape me, Draco, I mean he tortured me until I could barely move and somehow got my legs around his waist. He was pissed when he realized I had pants on beneath my robes and I just… I ended up stabbing him in the throat with one of my knives. I just shoved it right into his neck and he looked so stunned, his hand shot up and was feeling around and my fucking knife handle was just sticking out of his neck."

"Christ," Draco said, his mouth going slightly dry as he searched her eyes and tried desperately to push his arousal away. She'd think he was disgusting if she knew how he was feeling from listening to what she'd done. "Well, he's lucky I didn't see that. The fucking Order of the Rapists, more like."

"I know, right! I caught Dean Thomas doing some very questionable things to Parkinson, as well."

"What do you mean?"

"He was…" Hermione's cheeks reddened as she remembered. "He was masturbating in front of her, Draco, and making her take her clothes off. It was so weird. I didn't kill him, though, lucky bastard, but I did stupefy him and tell Pansy to steal his wand."

"Did you want to kill him?"

"Kind of," Hermione said with a little shrug. "I mean, he'd used the Cruciatus on me but… I don't know. I felt like killing him in front of Pansy Parkinson was maybe a little insane, so I just stupefied him and carried on to find you."

"Are you okay?! That was all really heavy for your first raid."

"I'm not … sad or anything at all. Is that weird?! I hated being a part of the Order because they'd kill senselessly and here I am, out there murdering anyone I come across."

"The Order is killing people they have no business killing, going to their homes and destroying families because they feel it's justified. Every single person you killed deserved it for the things they had done to you – George Weasley might not have hurt you personally, not in a physical sense, anyway, but you had to watch an innocent woman die because of him."

"I'm just worried that I'm not more upset about it."

"I killed Ernie Macmillan without even batting an eye, Hermione. We all do it. We do what we have to in order to survive and win this fucking thing."

"You're right. I did what I had to do and I'll continue to do it – I'm honestly looking forward to meeting some people on the battlefield because killing them will be my pleasure… especially if I use my knives."

"Fuck, Hermione," Draco said, shocked by what was happening to him because of the words slipping out of her mouth.

"What?!"

"The thought of you slitting that stupid Irish fuck's throat is turning me on way more than it should."

She giggled. "I'm not allowed to do anything strenuous until I'm completely healed," she reminded him and he groaned loudly.

"The minute you're cleared…" he warned, hoping he'd be able to fuck her soon.

/

Hermione was happily making her way through the hallways of the Manor a few days later, heading for her bedroom and away from the sick room she'd learned to hate. If she never had to stay in one again it would still be too soon.

Draco didn't know she was being released but she thought it would be nice to surprise him – she figured he had been in the gym all day and even though he stopped by for lunch she hadn't mentioned it.

She entered their bedroom and heard the shower running in their ensuite bathroom, he was probably planning on stopping by the sick room after he was clean. Hermione approached the bathroom door and then stopped, unsure if she could make herself go in there – she had the devious plan to join him in the shower, which would probably shock him into a heart attack but it would be a nice welcome back for her.

She really did need a shower, anyway, since a person could only feel so clean after so many scourgifies.

Hermione stood up quickly and pulled off her robe and knickers before she could talk herself out of it again – she wanted to join him and that was that, thinking about all of the things that could go wrong would only drive her insane and she _knew_ that Draco wouldn't _actually_ laugh at her. That thought was just ludicrous.

Hermione opened the door slowly and was overwhelmed by the pleasant heat of the steam billowing from the shower. She shivered slightly and tiptoed inside, closing the door gently behind her. Draco was humming to himself and it made her smile – he seemed to be in a good mood and that thought helped her along to stand just outside of the shower stall.

 _Do it_ , she said to herself and reached a timid hand forward, pulling the curtain back slowly.

Draco was there, with his back to her, and the sight of him took her breath away. The sinewy muscles in his back and shoulders rippled as he lifted his arms above his head, accentuating the sleek muscles that were his tightly toned ass. Everything about this man was toned and tight, she could find an ounce of fat anywhere on him. On him, her man. The masculine smell of his body wash permeated the air around her and had her wet before she had even reached out to touch him.

Hermione unconsciously licked her lips and gripped the shower curtain tighter, causing it to rustle between her fingers.

Draco turned around at the sound of the curtain, his eyes wide with shock at finding someone watching him in the shower. When his gaze rested on her face it was soft and warm; his eyes roamed down her body and he smiled down at her.

"What are you doing here?! I was going to come see you right after I was done."

"I've been released," she answered, gathering all of her courage and stepping into the stall with him.

"Merlin," he breathed, and pulled her warm body into the hot spray from the shower and flush against his body.

"That's fucking hot!" she squealed, trying to breathe properly as the water seared her skin.

"It's perfect," he said, and Hermione looked up to see that his eyes were closed. His hands were rubbing her back softly as the water cascaded down their bodies. He seemed completely at ease with the fact that a naked woman just entered his shower. Hermione reached up and touched his face, her fingers grazing over the stubble there and his eyes opened slightly, looking down at her lovingly.

Draco moved back and pulled Hermione directly under the spray, letting her stand still as he massaged her scalp with her favorite shampoo. She sighed and was surprised when he continued his ministrations until he had shampooed and conditioned her hair for her. This was certainly not what she had expected when she'd had the idea to surprise him in the shower. He eventually finished with her hair and started on her body, stroking up and down reaching every crevice. When Draco stroked the inside of her thighs and over her breasts Hermione's knees nearly gave out, the sensations coursing through her were so strong. She wanted to grab his hand and press it to her quim, but she couldn't summon the will to make her arms do her bidding. Her man was a master with his hands.

It was all over too soon. Draco turned off the water and stepped from the tub, dripping on the floor, as he summoned two towels wandlessly. He wrapped his towel around himself and held one open towards Hermione. She stepped from the shower, hoping that Draco would continue his ministrations on her body. He did not disappoint. He began drying her, paying special attention to her breasts, lifting and caressing them as he wiped every last drop of water from her skin. He ran his hands softly over her hair and she felt the magic he used to dry it settle over her scalp, making her tingle pleasantly.

She was a mass of jumbled nerves and heavy breathing as Draco guided her from the bathroom and into the bedroom. He pulled her in for a kiss beside their bed that ignited Hermione's blood to such a fervor she was afraid she would pass out. She rubbed her body against his and he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Draco leaned them over onto their bed, the mattress dipping beneath his knees and creaking with their movements. Hermione unwrapped her legs and broke their kiss, breathing hard as she put her hand on Draco's chest. She pushed his backwards so he was lying on his back, his head on her pillow. Their eyes locked and she knew this was the time – this was it – and she felt no fear, only desire and excitement. She sat up and straddled his hips before leaning down and kissing his stubbly jaw and working her way down his body. Her lips were inches away from his nipple when he groaned and sat up quickly, grabbing her by her arms and flipping them around so that Hermione was on her back and he was hovering over her.

"You first," he said, his eyes dimmed with lust.

Draco repositioned himself so that Hermione was cradling him between her legs and he began to kiss her face, starting with her forehead and working his way down. When he reached her mouth he paused and sucked her lower lip into his mouth. Hermione thought she was going to come right then and there but she pushed all thought out of her mind and just enjoyed the sensations. Draco moved from her lips to her neck, leaving no inch of skin untouched. When he reached the top of her breasts, he paused and looked up at her. Hermione's head was thrown back and her eyes were closed; Draco lifted his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth, causing Hermione to cry out in shock and what could only be described as sheer ecstasy. He sucked, flicked and kissed her nipple until she was panting and begging him to give her what she so desperately needed, then switching to the other side. After Draco had given both of her breasts the attention he felt they so rightfully deserved he began kissing his way back up her body until he reached her lips.

"Are you sure?" Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, searching for any sign of fear or hesitation. All he saw was lust. Her response was a barely perceptible nod before she closed her eyes in surrender.

Draco positioned himself over her wet opening and lowered himself until he felt the tip of his cock pressing into her. Hermione opened her legs wider and lifted herself up as her way of showing that she needed him inside her desperately. Draco continued to push until he was fully impaled; it was like nothing he had ever felt before.

At Hermione's urging, he began to move slowly. In what seemed like seconds Draco felt Hermione's quim begin to tighten and the muscles fluttering around his cock. He knew she was close and began to move faster. Hermione's nails raked across his back as she came with a force that she had no idea was possible. Every thought, fear, anxiety and worry she had in her mind vanished and all she could think about were the wonderful feelings coursing through her and the fact that she was going to be with this man for the rest of her life; nothing had ever seemed more appealing to her.

Hermione was still caught up in her own thoughts and feelings of contentment when Draco came inside her with a violent shudder and moan that she was sure everyone in the mansion would hear. She wrapped her legs around his waist in an effort to hold him inside her for a minute longer and kissed his neck. She had never, in her life, been happier than she was in this moment and she was determined to make it last.

 _Why the hell did I wait so long?_ She asked herself later as she was falling asleep in Draco's arms.

/

"This is taking fu… forever," Hermione whined at her soon to be mother-in-law while exiting the change room for what felt like the thirtieth time.

"Definitely not that one," Narcissa said as a reply, wrinkling her nose.

They were out on a shopping excursion in Diagon Alley searching for Hermione's wedding dress. It wasn't going well.

"Don't you have something a little more… form fitting?!" Narcissa asked the saleswoman, who rushed away in search of gowns. The dress Hermione had stepped out of the dressing room in was truly ugly – it made her look way heavier than she was and did nothing for her figure.

"My boobs look saggy as fuck in this dress," Hermione complained, almost laughing when she looked in the mirror.

"Language, dear."

"But honestly!" Hermione exclaimed, "Look at them!"

"That dress… it's hideous and wouldn't do anything for anyone."

"Ahem," the saleswoman said from behind Narcissa, and Hermione knew if they weren't _the Malfoy's_ they probably would have been kicked out of the store by now.

"Oh!" Narcissa exclaimed at the gown the woman was holding, "Try this one, Hermione."

Hermione watched as the woman hung the gown in the dressing room she was using and looked back toward the mirror, laughing once more at the dress on her body before turning away to take the monstrosity off. Nothing could be worse than that one.

"Are you ready?" she asked after a few minutes. Narcissa gave the curtain her full attention at the sound of Hermione's voice – was that excitement she detected?

Hermione pulled the curtain back and stepped out in the gown. _The_ gown. It was strapless and tight to her body until the tulle skirt flared out around her hips, falling softly to the floor – it barely poofed out at all. It was a dazzling white and had small crystals sewed in around the sweetheart neckline. It did wonders for Hermione's already amazing figure, making her look slim and svelte. Her eyes looked mischievous as Narcissa eyed the gown appreciatively – the dress didn't have any bulges or areas that took away from the line of her body – it was simple and beautiful. Narcissa nodded.

"Wow," Narcissa breathed, her eyes becoming a little misty. "That looks wonderful, Hermione."

Hermione turned around in one fluid motion and grinned even wider when she heard Narcissa breathe in sharply – the gown was entirely backless until about two inches above her butt.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Narcissa admitted. "The gown is still amazing though, and you look beautiful in it."

Hermione stepped in front of the mirror and stared at herself, twisting and turning to try and see herself from every angle. The saleswoman waved her wand and another mirror was conjured behind her, allowing her to see it from the front and the back. She stood there and stared, trying to pick out something that she didn't like about the dress but she just couldn't find anything wrong with it at all.

"I love it," she breathed, staring at herself.

"I also brought this one," the saleswoman said, gesturing to another gown that was hanging from a hook on the wall – Hermione barely glanced at it.

"I don't think I want to try anything else on," she admitted to Narcissa.

"This is it?" Narcissa asked, agreeing totally but wanting Hermione to make the ultimate decision. While the gown was backless it was still tasteful enough for her to wear and the second Hermione set eyes on herself Narcissa knew it was going to be 'the one'.

"Yes," Hermione said, her mind made up.

"Excellent," Narcissa said, dabbing at her eyes daintily with a handkerchief. "We'll take it."

 **Don't forget to let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N- Still not beta'd! Sorry everyone! Thanks to everyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed this story! It means so much to me! Especially to those few amazing people who take the time to review almost every chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

"I'm wondering if any of you have noticed Dumbledore's age?" Tom asked the table at random a few nights after Hermione secured her wedding gown. He asked everyone present, which for once was only Hermione, Draco, Narcissa and Lucius but he was looking directly at Hermione.

"I've noticed he's over 120, if that's what you mean?"

"According to my calculations he's 142, actually."

"Wow," Draco said, "No wonder he isn't joining in on the fighting."

"That can't be right," Hermione demurred. "He's in great health and he's still sharp as a tack... 142 years is old even for the wizarding world."

"He should, at the very least, be shuffling around and talking a little bit of nonsense," Lucius said, wiping his mouth gently with a cloth napkin.

"I've checked back, he was in his nineties when he was teaching me at school," Tom said seriously.

The table lapsed into silence but no one was eating, everyone was glancing at each other, unsure what to do with this new information.

"I've been wondering about it," Tom started, "and I began thinking about what happened in your first year at school."

It clicked in Hermione's brain immediately and she turned to Draco with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked. He was beginning to feel stupid because she was looking at him like he should have shared her disgust, but she didn't elaborate immediately.

"He said he destroyed it!" Hermione said angrily, annoyed at the lies the old man had been telling everyone for years.

"He's said a lot of things," Tom answered, cutting a piece of meat on his plate casually.

"So you think he's been lying to everyone, Nicolas Flamel included, in order to extend his worthless life?"

"Exactly."

"Nicolas Flamel?" Draco asked, his mind catching up. "You think Dumbledore stole the Philosophers stone?"

"Precisely, and where, Hermione, would he keep such a thing?"

"Hogwarts," she breathed immediately. The school had been closed indefinitely the year after she'd graduated because the war was picking up tempo and no one wanted to send their children away but Dumbledore still lived at the castle. The Order had been using it for the last year and a half to keep their prisoners in the dungeons as well as to house many people who were losing their houses during raids.

"I've been told that old Albus still lives there. Not to mention he's got plenty of my Death Eaters underground, withering away from the treatment; as much as I've wanted them back I haven't had enough of a reason to try and attack the place. But now… now I think we've got reason."

Hermione was slightly chagrined to hear that Tom didn't feel his Death Eaters were enough of a reason to attack the castle but she did understand that the castle was huge and an attack there wouldn't be quiet enough to do without the media finding out.

"Do you mean to tell the world that we're stealing the stone, or is it to be kept a secret?"

"I want the stone," Tom said seriously. "If the media were to find out that's why we attacked the school we'd never be able to keep it to ourselves. It would be given to Nicolas Flamel's oldest relative."

"What reason do we give for attacking then?"

Tom shrugged casually. "I don't know, maybe all of my men?"

"Right," Hermione said, feeling a little slow.

"I enjoy the questions, Hermione. I find it helps to think out loud."

"When are you expecting to attack?" Draco asked curiously.

"As soon as I set up a team. I'd like your squad there, Draco, and I'm thinking about including Justin's squad as well – they're an extraction team and we'll need them in order to get everyone out of the dungeon. I want Lucius there," Tom said, inclining his head to the older Malfoy male. "And Bellatrix. I'm planning on including a lot more of my older members this time. The stone won't be easy to find and I'm sure Dumbledore has it guarded very securely… the more the better."

"He'll die without the stone," Hermione pointed out, a strange smile on her face that made Draco want to yank her away from the dinner table and drag her to their bedroom.

"Good," he said instead of pulling his fiancé away. They shared a look that bordered on disturbing. Draco thought maybe they had a few problems, but both of them were happy and they had come to terms with the fact that they were turned on by death. He was hoping he could share his really deranged thoughts one day and let her know what happened to him when she spoke about her knives.

"You're waiting until after the wedding, right?" Narcissa demanded.

Tom looked a little bit put out. "Probably not, Narcissa. I know it's in a couple weeks but this needs to be done, plus I have things I want to put in place after the wedding and the more we get done now, the better."

"What if someone's injured during this attack?! How can we hold a wedding if someone's hurt terribly?"

"The wedding will continue as planned unless either Draco or Hermione die, or are on the brink of death. They won't allow that to happen though. Draco, keep Hermione in your sights this time, yeah?"

Draco dropped his eyes to his plate for a moment, still angry and upset with himself about what happened to Hermione during the last raid. No one seemed to notice except Hermione and she reached out and touched his hand reassuringly.

"Yes, Sir."

"I'll call a meeting in a couple days, so be prepared."

/

"I can't believe we're doing this right before our wedding," Hermione grumbled, strapping her knives into the straps around her wrists and ankles.

"It does seem like an awful idea but if it all goes well it'll be worth it. We do need that stone."

"He never really said what he wants it for," Hermione pointed out.

"Yes," Draco said, staring at her closely. "Dumbledore will die without it. None of us need it since we're fairly young, but the fact that he'll die makes it so much more appealing. Plus, he wants the castle."

"I don't disagree that having the castle would be nice, especially if your father gets the Minister post. We could eventually open the school again."

"Oh, you'd just love that."

"I really would," Hermione agreed, kissing Draco on the mouth before turning away and pulling on her outer robes. Since they weren't preparing for a distress call they had plenty of time to get themselves ready before they met everyone attending the raid in the entrance hall.

"This is going to be different, Hermione. We don't separate at all and if someone in our troupe goes down or you see another Death Eater who has fallen you send out a patronus to Justin immediately."

"You've already told me all of this," she pointed out.

"I know, I just need you to understand. You don't leave us."

"Okay."

"If something happens to me, you need to continue on but send your patronus."

"I won't leave you if you're hurt, Draco, so don't even ask that of me."

"It's the way it's done."

"Bullshit. I've seen Blaise leave with Theo when he was hurt and I'll be doing the same thing. If I was hurt would you send a patronus and leave me there?" she demanded.

"Fuck, alright don't leave me then. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"Well that makes two of us."

"Have all your knives?" Draco asked her, biting his lip slightly.

"As many as I can carry."

"Let's go, then."

They walked down to the entrance hall hand in hand, Hermione holding on fairly tightly due to her nerves. The last raid she had been on hadn't been planned and she hadn't had time to think about everything before it happened. This time she had days to think about everything that could go wrong and worry about the outcome constantly.

"Everyone's already here," Draco said as they stood at the top of the stairs. Hermione looked down and saw the massive amount of people coming with them – at least 300. The entrance hall was packed and she noticed that most of the Death Eaters joining the raid were older than the squad she was a part of. They descended the stairs and joined their troupe at the bottom, Hermione ignoring the eyes on her. Some people were still extremely curious about her and stared more often than not, but she was learning to ignore it. She found it was the worst when she was studying blood wards in the library, people would hover around the stacks watching her, even if they had no reason to be at the manor at all.

They milled around and chatted for a few moments before Tom was at the top of the stairs, his loud voice carrying over the crowd of Death Eaters.

"Today we shall claim Hogwarts Castle as our own! We will find the Philosophers stone and wait for the old man to wither away and die! We will collect our previously captured and watch our numbers swell once again!"

Everyone cheered and began snapping their masks into place, making sure their robes were on properly and ensuring their wands were in their holsters.

On Tom's count the group apparated away silently, appearing immediately in Hogsmeade before making their way up to the school.

Hermione and Draco jogged up the large slope hand in hand, each flanked by other members of their squad.

"Nervous?" Theo asked from her side.

"Yes," she admitted, her mouth slightly dry.

"Everything will go smoothly. Did you see how many of us are here today?"

"I know," Hermione answered, stopping with everyone else once they'd made it to the gates marking the property of the castle.

The plan was to attack the wards at once, dropping them with brute force instead of talent. They were way too extensive for a few members to drop alone and since barely anyone knew how to remove wards it would just be too much work – there were layers upon layers including ancient magic that guarded the castle.

Tom counted and on 'three' everyone attacked the wards together – 300 Death eaters managed to take the wards down in less than five minutes. Thankfully blood wards weren't on the castle grounds or they would have never made it in.

Hermione was shocked when she stepped through the gates and more figures began appearing ahead of her, almost at the castle doors and all clad in black robes. Apparently Tom had more members apparate in once the anti-apparation wards had been dropped. There had to be at least 500 Death Eaters present and Hermione heard Tom's voice booming through the castle when they were only halfway there.

"Anyone who doesn't want to fight for Albus Dumbledore is free to leave – my Death Eaters will let you pass by freely without worry of being harmed. Anyone with small children should be out of the castle within five minutes! We don't want to hurt you and we don't want to spill any more magical blood than we have to."

Draco pulled to a stop about thirty feet from the castle doors, his wand in his hand but relaxed at his side so he didn't seem threatening to anyone trying to flee. Hermione looked around and saw that everyone was doing the same thing, so she pulled her wand from her holster and held it loosely at her side.

She was shocked by the amount of people running.

They stood and watched as at least seventy adults, most with young children in tow, poured from the castle doors and rushed nervously down the pathway toward the gates.

"Good riddance," Greg muttered.

"Fucking cowards," Blaise grumbled, watching them run.

"They have children," Hermione pointed out fairly. "They just want to ensure they're safe."

She was pretty sure she heard Draco mutter something about 'bleeding heart Gryffindor's' but she ignored him, she knew it would have been wrong to go in on a murder spree and start killing people who were only there because it was supposedly safe from the war raging around them.

Safe enough, until members of the Order of the Phoenix showed up and started throwing curses left, right and centre.

"What are those idiots doing?!" Vince yelled, watching as a fleeing parent was smashed down with an 'Incendio' curse, his robes catching on fire as his small children stood beside him and screamed.

"Fuck!" Draco yelled, and dropped Hermione's hand before he broke into a dead run toward the burning man. His troupe followed without question and Hermione was holding a shield charm over herself and her fiancé as they ran into a barrage of spells.

"Aguamenti!" he yelled, water pouring out of his wand and putting out the flames that hadn't yet done any damage to the terrified man. Hermione looked around, holding her powerful shield in place as she took in all the damage the Order had done to the terrified people trying to flee – she even witnessed some children who had been struck down long before their time.

"Thank you, thank you," the man said gratefully, standing up and brushing off his robes with shaky hands.

"You're welcome. Now get your kids and get the hell out of here," Draco said, not unkindly. The man glanced at Draco one more time, nodded toward Hermione and pulled his children into his arms.

"You can apparate," Hermione said, and the man nodded once more before disappearing from view.

Theo, Blaise, Greg and Vince were fighting hard as well as trying to right the wrongs of the Order. Hermione didn't think their adversaries had purposely harmed innocent people, but she couldn't be sure. It was obvious the people running weren't Death Eaters and were civilians.

Hermione was jarred out of her thoughts when a bright orange curse sailed by her head, missing her by inches. She'd dropped her shield when the burning man apparated away with his children and hadn't been paying enough attention. She cursed at herself before holding up her wand, scoping out Dean Thomas purposefully – she shot a stinging hex at the man but he'd dodged it and the Order began making their way inside the castle.

Draco's troupe followed and soon enough they were in the castle that had once been their beloved school. The Entrance hall was completely empty.

"Where the hell did everyone go?" Theo asked, voicing Hermione's thoughts exactly.

"Up or down?" Blaise asked.

"Let's go up. We already know that Death Eaters have been positioned down there so let's go up and see what we can find."

Hermione nodded and followed Vince closely up a few flights of stairs. She could remember running these halls with her ridiculously heavy book bag, determined to be the best in class so she could prove her worth to people. She had a vision of Draco from back then, his hair slicked tightly to his head and his nose so far up in the air she was surprised he didn't trip over his feet when he was walking.

"Stop picturing it," he said from behind her and she giggled.

They entered a hallway and were about a third of the way down when Hermione felt… different. Suppressed.

"Stop," she said, and the group halted immediately. "Something isn't right."

"Good job, Hermione," a voice said from behind them and they spun around quickly. Remus Lupin was there, looking more wolfish than usual. "I know it was you who killed my wife," he said after a moment. "Was it in retribution of your parents?"

"Don't even fucking speak to me about that, Remus, or I'll fucking flay you."

Lupin looked positively frightening; his teeth were bared in a silent growl and Hermione had never before been able to see the wolf in him while in his human form. His wand was in his hand, but it almost looked like he'd forgotten about it as he stalked toward her purposely.

"Diffindo," she said calmly, but was dismayed when nothing at all happened.

"Incendio!" she yelled, but again, nothing happened.

"They've put up magic dampeners!" Theo yelled after attempting a spell that didn't work.

Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and started to pull her in the opposite direction but after a few steps at least five men emerged from the shadows. Lupin laughed from behind them, a seriously chilling sound and Hermione glanced back to see more people joining him from behind.

They were completely outnumbered.

"Since we've decided to start using dampeners that will stop any harmful spells from being cast we realized we'd need more brute force on our side. I know you've never met them, Hermione, but I'd like you to know that all these wonderful men have decided to join the Order and they're from my clan."

"Clan? So you've finally tempted more werewolves, have you?"

Hermione wasn't listening to Remus' answer, instead her ears were focused on the Velcro ripping open quietly behind her – someone was removing their weapon. Hermione made a show of putting her wand back into her holster as Lupin moved closer to her; he was probably about fifteen feet away when she'd managed to get a few knives into her hands.

"One of the great things I've been taught, Remus, is that we can't always rely on our magic."

He laughed again, "Let's be serious, Hermione, I could rip you apart with my teeth."

"Try me," she said, her lip curling as her and the men formed a circle, their backs to each other and their hands clenched around their shrunken weapons. Hermione could only hope that since the spells the men wanted to use weren't meant to harm that they would work.

"Now!" Draco yelled, and each man shouted, "Engorgio!"

Their weapons were full size the next moment and Hermione breathed a silent sight of relief – she really didn't think she'd be able to take all the werewolves out by herself.

Just like it did every time she was in the arena, time slowed down for Hermione. She spotted a humongous man a few feet behind Remus and decided in a split second that it would be lucrative to take him out first – he looked like he'd be able to do a lot of damage. Hermione spun out on her heel and dodged Draco's scythe as she released a knife, keeping her form to ensure that she followed through properly until she watched the blade sink right into the huge man's throat.

She stepped around Vince, who was just smashing his flail through a very hairy man's chest and released another knife at a man with very pronounced eye teeth. It spun through the air perfectly, rotating four times before sticking directly into his temple and dropping him where he stood. She saw arrows flying through the air, dropping men ridiculously fast, and that was when her eyes landed on Remus Lupin.

It seemed he'd realized that he'd made a serious error in judgement – he had never expected the twenty year olds to be able to ruthlessly take out a huge group of werewolves, but now that he saw what was happening in front of his very eyes he wanted to run.

Hermione knew he was going to flee before he had even turned his back. Time sped up and was back to normal as Remus spun on his heel and started running away, only making it a few feet before one of Hermione's blades sunk into his back right down to the handle. He screamed and dropped to his knees as a second one joined the first, a few inches to the left, totally surprised at the pain ripping through his back. Hermione ran toward him, dodging Theo's jo that came uncomfortably close to the side of her head in the small hallway they were fighting in, and stopped right beside Remus.

The werewolf she'd known for seven years was pulling himself pathetically across the floor, a small blood trail behind him and his back drenched with the crimson liquid, but he stopped when he saw her boots. She must have hit him in an organ, judging by the colour and amount of blood on the floor.

"Going somewhere?" she asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"Have to warn them," he said, which let Hermione know he wasn't in his best state of mind. Why he'd tell her he planned on warning the Order about what the group of youngsters could do was completely beyond her. He seemed lethargic and wasn't trying to fight her back at all – he didn't even strike out at her as she stood in front of him.

"You won't be warning anyone about anything," Hermione said coldly, her sweet temperament dropping at the drop of a hat. "It was foolish of you to think you'd be able to attack me after I had already killed your wife, and yes, Remus – it was me who did that. You were right. She fucking deserved it and so do you."

"Please," he pleaded suddenly. "I don't want to die."

"I didn't want my parents to die either you fucking piece of shit," Hermione almost yelled, and she was startled that it echoed in the hallway. She glanced up quickly to see that Draco and the men had ruthlessly destroyed every werewolf – Draco's scythe was just coming down to rest at his calf as the decapitated head of the last werewolf rolled across the floor.

"Fuck that feels good!" Draco roared, his voice breathy.

"I didn't agree with that call," Lupin said, attracting Hermione's attention again while trying to convince her that he had nothing to do with that decision. She didn't believe him for a second but she also wasn't going to stand around and argue with a dying man.

"Well, your wife did. I'm done talking," Hermione said, stepping up close to Remus and pulling her knives from his back roughly. He groaned and started coughing, blood spattering the floor in front of his face. She gripped his hair tightly from behind and yanked back, exposing his neck fully and before she could even really think about what she was doing she pressed her blade against his throat near his ear. "Goodbye, Remus," she said, dragging her knife across his throat in one motion, watching as his blood poured out onto the floor in front of him as he spluttered and his body shook.

Once his eyes stopped seeing and his body stopped shaking Hermione stood up and looked away. Draco was watching her closely through his mask and she found she was glad she couldn't see his eyes clearly – she could only imagine how turned on he was at the moment. He tried to keep it on the down low but she'd noticed that every single time she'd say something about killing someone or speak about her knives he'd become aroused instantly.

"What are we going to do with the bodies?" she asked, worried that if the Order found them they'd see they weren't killed with magic.

"Let's get them out of this corridor, first of all," Greg said, levitating a random body and guiding it down the hall and into the next corridor.

Hermione turned away and went to collect her few knives as Blaise was collecting his arrows.

She helped the boys levitate the werewolves into the next hallway and Draco was happy to see there was a window there, meaning they'd made it to an outside wall.

Draco pointed to the window and Theo walked over and threw it open as the blond levelled his wand at the pile of bodies and said, "Incendio!"

The bodies were on fire instantly, the stench making Hermione's nose wrinkle as it passed by her and was sucked out the open window.

"Fucking asshole," she said in parting to Remus Lupin's body, his eyes unseeing and his gashed throat looking incredibly disturbing in the firelight.

"Let's go find everyone," Draco said, turning away from the burning pile of werewolves.

Hermione took his hand and followed the pressure, wondering if Tom had managed to find the Philosophers stone yet and whether there were still fights going on around the castle.

"Do you think the Order has fled, yet?"

"Probably, by now. They never stick around long and I'm kind of hoping Tom just murdered Dumbledore straight out."

"I don't," Hermione argued. "If he did we'll have to explain to the media why we stormed the castle AND murdered Albus Dumbledore in cold blood. If he withers away before everyone's eyes it'll be much better."

"Fuck the media," Blaise snarled.

"No, Blaise. It's important that they're on our side. I know they're a bunch of no good fucks but when they're on your side everything looks better. We will take the important members of the Order out systematically with our smarts while destroying those idiots like Remus Lupin with our skills."

"You did really well back there," Draco breathed from behind her, his breath tickling her neck.

"So did you," Hermione answered primly. She wasn't going to play into his fantasies at the moment.

"I don't hear anyone," Theo said, sticking his head over the banister of the staircase they were on before continuing down.

"Maybe they've fled," Greg said with a shrug. "They flee every other fucking time."

The group met no one in the hallways and didn't see anyone in the entrance hall. Hermione entered the Great Hall for a quick peek but it was empty as well.

"The dungeons?"

"Maybe Dumbledore's office?"

Everyone turned to Draco, who groaned because he had no idea.

"Maybe should we just get back to the manor? It seems way too quiet in here."

"It's up to you, boss," Vince said, peering around.

"It's creepy in here when it's empty," Hermione said, a slight shiver wracking her frame.

"Let's just go back to the manor."

Everyone apparated within the next few moments and they appeared in the entrance hall of the manor; it was bustling with people who were cheerful and happy.

"That went way faster than I thought it would," Hermione said, removing her mask.

"I know! We didn't even get to see anything good happen."

"I wouldn't say that," Draco countered, his eyebrow raised in Hermione's direction.

"Stop it," she said, slapping his chest lightly.

"We've been successful in our mission!" Tom's voice thundered, making Hermione jump and Draco laugh. "We outnumbered the order by hundreds and they fled after only a few minutes of fighting. Dumbledore had no choice but to follow his men and he left without a second thought. Bellatrix found the Philosophers Stone hidden behind one of the portraits in his office and Justin and his team managed to extract every Death Eater that were still alive in the dungeons. They're all being tended to right now and I've decided we're going to be having a celebration feast tonight! Good work deserves good rewards, so everyone needs to go get ready and if you care to come back for the festivities please feel free!"

Sometimes the jovial air of the Death Eaters still surprised Hermione. She'd never expected to be treated so fairly and have such a good time, but now that she was part of it she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Draco pinched her butt and shocked her out of her musings.

"Let's go change," he said, but Hermione knew he had other things in mind.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N- Still not beta'd so I sincerely apologize for any mistakes! I don't have much to say other than a huge thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited and especially to those that have left me reviews! I appreciate it so much!**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

"Well Hermione was right about the media presence," Tom said over dinner a few nights before Draco and Hermione's wedding was to take place. "I don't know if any of you saw the Prophet the last few days but it's been front page. I think some of the people who fled gave most of the interviews but it's definitely all in our favour."

"What did they say?" Hermione asked before taking a bite of pasta.

"Basically that we had arrived to get our captured men back and gave all the innocent people time to leave before we attacked, but then the Order stormed in and killed a bunch of them without a second thought."

"Things are going in our favour then," Draco said, smiling.

"This is just in time, too, since Lucius will be giving an interview tomorrow about running for Minister."

"No one has any inclination that we were there for the stone?"

"No one but the Order, and they can't say anything because then Dumbledore would have to admit that he had stolen it in the first place."

"I can't wait for that old goat to die," Hermione stated before the table lapsed into silence.

"Is everything in order for the wedding?" Tom asked, which caused Narcissa to break into girlish chatter about everything from the colour scheme to the flowers.

"How are you two feeling about it?" Tom asked, looking at Hermione and Draco.

"Good – I'm excited, but not nearly as much as Narcissa," Hermione said, smiling.

"I just want you to be my wife. Plus the extra magic will be nice."

"I think I've learned everything I can about blood wards, Tom, but I've been thinking about Hogwarts… do you think we should put them on the castle? We were able to break down the wards there easily enough so it wouldn't be hard for them to get it back if they really wanted to."

Tom sat up straight in his seat, staring at Hermione. "Why didn't I think of that? Yes, I want blood wards up."

"Okay, well think about it and let me know whose blood you'd like to use to ward the grounds and I'll get to work on it. I think after the wedding would be best though, considering how draining it is and the fact that I'll need the extra power from my marriage to make it strong. Narcissa will have all of our heads if we aren't in top shape."

Hermione had been researching for weeks to ensure that she knew exactly what it was that she needed to do to ensure that she'd be safe and wouldn't blow the school up, plus the intricacies of the magic itself. She sometimes wondered why Tom himself wasn't learning how to deal with blood wards but she figured he didn't want to waste his time on something a faithful Death Eater could deal with. He probably also didn't want to deal with all the people who were hovering around the library at all times of the day – Hermione rarely went even an hour without feeling like she was being watched.

The one time she could recall being alone was just earlier that day. She had went back into the stacks to see if she could find any more books pertaining to blood wards or if she'd learned everything that she could about them from the extensive collection in the library. She'd found a bunch of handwritten journals on a shelf, pushed far back behind large tomes – but she'd been called to dinner before she could read any of them. She'd taken them to her room and put them in her trunk before she made her way downstairs – she was wary of the books but she wasn't sure why.

"After the wedding is fine. Where are the other boys?! They haven't eaten with us very much lately and it's strange. I needed to speak to them about their wedding duties."

"Blaise's mum has been throwing a fit because he's never there for meals anymore and I'm pretty sure Greg and Vince are getting nightly lectures about finding a witch to settle down with now that I'm to be married in a few days," Draco said. "Theo… isn't having the best time right now."

Hermione's head snapped up. She'd been so busy doing research about wards, learning to heal, training in the gym and dealing with her wedding things she hadn't been paying much attention to anyone but herself and Draco.

"What's wrong with Theo?"

"His dad found out about… his preferences."

"Oh my fuck, is he okay?!"

"Not overly, but he will be."

Tom made an overly dramatic gesture and closed his eyes in concentration before pressing his finger to his mark. Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"I need my men here, we have thing to discuss and I usually bank on them being here for meals."

Hermione heard the floo in the other room start to roar and was impressed by the speed in which people scrambled to be at Tom's side. She was one of them, of course, but seeing it happen from this point of view was different. She was impressed and could only wish she'd be so respected one day.

They came in one by one, Blaise first, followed closely by Greg and Vince. Theo didn't show.

Tom called him again.

"Have you talked to Theo today, Blaise?"

"No, Sir. He's being a little… different."

"Why isn't he coming?" Hermione asked, suddenly feeling ill.

"He'll be here," Draco said, taking her hand. "Maybe he's just tied up."

"I need you three, at least, to understand your roles in the wedding."

The floo roared, but the entire table was shocked to see Ginny Weasley enter the room instead of Theo.

"Hi!" she said, then slowed when she realized the tense atmosphere in the room. "Is this a bad time? I have some news."

"Go ahead, Ginevra," Tom said, waiting for her to speak.

"The Order is furious – they know Remus was killed at the Hogwarts fight. No one has seen him since the Orders arrival at the castle so it's a fair conclusion for them to come to. They know about your wedding, Hermione. I think they have a contact of some sort at the Prophet that's been giving them information, but Harry and Ron did some recon last night and determined there are blood wards on the property of the manor and there's no way for them to get in within the next three days. We have no ward experts on our side and Dumbledore has been pretty sick the last few days. He said he contracted something at the fight."

Hermione blinked. She'd forgotten that Dumbledore had lied to the Order about the Philosophers stone, but being sick was a good cover story, especially when considering his age was hitting him all at once.

"So they wanted to attack the wedding but can't because they can't get through the wards?"

"They're on the prowl as we speak to find someone to drop them, and Tom, I have to tell you… they might succeed. Harry's been speaking with some man and has offered him a pretty generous compensation to drop them on the night of the wedding."

"Who?" Tom asked, his voice dark as everyone at the table sat in silence.

"I can't remember his name but I think he's Greek."

"Georgios Giannopoulos?"

"Maybe," Ginny hedged, not wanting to commit.

"Find out," Tom thundered. "If it's Georgios he'll do it for a small fortune and won't really ask any questions. I've been trying to get his help to drop the wards at the headquarters of the Order for years and he refuses to work for me – we fought years ago and he's holding it against me."

"What do we do?!" Hermione asked, not relishing the fact that her wedding was going to be crashed and attacked.

"You two will marry tomorrow by a justice instead of having a big wedding – I'm sorry, Narcissa, I know how much planning you've put into the actual wedding, but it just isn't safe. Lucius, during your interview about running for Minister I want you to drop the bomb that Draco and Hermione are already married and their big celebration has been postponed until after the war – what time is your interview?"

"Three, Tom."

"The wedding will be held in the morning, then. Blaise, can you run and send an owl to Ainsley Moore? He's a justice and a Death Eater, so we know he can be trusted."

"Yes, Sir," Blaise said, leaving the room quickly.

"I guess I'll go cancel all the plans – we're still going to have to pay our deposits for everything," Narcissa said, her voice down.

Hermione was disappointed as well, and as Narcissa walked away Hermione excused herself and caught up with her.

"If the wedding is in the morning will you be able to stop by my rooms fairly early to help me?"

"Get ready? Dear, there's nothing to get ready for."

"I have a perfectly good wedding dress in my closet and it's not going to waste because of the goddamned Order."

Narcissa's face broke into a small smile even though she still looked a little upset.

"I'll be there by eight, then."

"Thank you," Hermione breathed. "I'd never be able to get ready without your help."

"I have a ton of owls to send," Narcissa sighed, patting Hermione on the cheek before turning and walking away.

Hermione turned then and saw Theo walking slowly from the fireplace.

"Theo!" she yelled, running forward. "I've missed you, what's going on?"

"Nothing," he replied, his eyes slightly downcast.

"Draco told me about your dad… I'm so sorry, but don't let it get you down."

"He told me if I don't marry a witch within the year I'll be disowned."

Hermione stared at him, understanding that would be a blow.

"Talk to him, Theo. He's probably just in shock about it and needs time to adjust."

"He's serious."

"Theo!" they heard, and turned quickly to see Blaise coming down the hall swiftly, worry in his eyes. Hermione watched as Blaise pulled him in for a hug and Theo started sobbing on the other man's shoulder. She walked away, letting them deal with their own problems herself; although she hoped they could figure it out because she really didn't think they'd be happy without each other.

"Theo's here," Hermione told everyone as she re-entered the dining room. "He's talking to Blaise right now and I think we should let them be for a while. Where's Ginny?"

"I don't need to speak to him now, anyway, since the wedding has been changed. She's gone. She had to get back before they noticed that she'd left. She did say something about having a few men of the Order wanting to switch to our sides, but I won't be able to meet with them for a few weeks – I've just got too much going on at the moment."

"Did she say who?!"

"Neville Longbottom and one of her brothers," Greg answered with a grimace.

"Neville is bloody brilliant, Greg. He would be a fine addition to our ranks."

"We'll see about that after he's been questioned," Tom said dismissively.

"Can I see him when he's here?" Hermione asked quietly. She really did miss some of her old friends.

Tom nodded his assent before getting to his feet and leaving the room after saying a quick goodnight.

"It's getting late," Hermione said after checking the time with a quick 'Tempus'. "Now that I'm going to be getting married tomorrow morning I should probably go to bed." Hermione stood by the doors and Draco approached her slowly, his hands reaching out and taking hers gently.

"I'm really sorry, Hermione," Draco said. "I know you were excited about the wedding."

"It's okay," she said with a casual shrug. "I'd rather our wedding wasn't attacked, anyway."

"I want to write a few of our own vows, too, to strengthen the bond," Draco told her, surprising her.

"I think that's a nice idea," Hermione said, wondering when she was going to find the time to write her own vows. Maybe she'd just wing it or copy whatever Draco chose to say.

"I'll see you in the morning," Draco said, his mouth close to hers. "Since it's been made clear we aren't to spend the night before the wedding together."

His breath rushed across her face and she closed her eyes in contentment. Tomorrow she would be married to the man in front of her and she didn't really care if it was a big wedding or the smallest ceremony in the world, she was just excited to be able to call him her husband.

"Come have a few drinks, Draco," Greg called. "It's your last night as a single man."

"Please don't get him wasted," Hermione admonished. "I don't need him to fucking pass out at the altar or something equally as pathetic in the morning."

Draco grinned before pressing his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into his body, but when Vince catcalled he pulled away.

"See you in the morning," he said again, and Hermione turned on her heel and went to her own bed.

/

Hermione didn't sleep well. She was so used to sleeping with Draco now that she laid awake late into the night staring at her ceiling, thinking about sneaking to their shared bedroom, but she knew that if Narcissa found out she'd be pissed. She couldn't help thinking about her feelings toward Draco and how, even though she'd only liked him somewhat a few months ago, she actually _fucking loved_ him, now.

Loved.

Hermione Granger loved Draco Malfoy and everyone would know it. She thought she'd probably loved him for a little while now but was just coming to terms with it – she could remember how worried she was about him during the Greengrass extraction and realized that those feelings weren't normal for a simple friendship. She was way more worried about Draco than she'd been about Theo, Blaise, Greg, or Vince.

It was twenty minutes after eight, Narcissa was late and that in itself was shocking, but Hermione was taking all the time she could to lay in bed and doze. She'd only managed to get about four hours of sleep the night before, but before she could drift off again Narcissa stepped into the room and an elf appeared with coffee and croissants.

"Get up!" she cried, shocked that Hermione was still in bed.

"Caffeine!" Hermione cried, rolling off her bed and almost stumbling into the poor elf before he disappeared.

"How did you sleep?" Narcissa asked. Hermione was dismayed to see her soon to be mother-in-law looked incredibly put together considering how early it was. She was so damned beautiful. Hermione had literally just rolled out of bed and was still wearing pajamas. She was also fairly certain her hair looked like it had a life of her own.

"Not great," Hermione admitted. "I felt really lonely in this huge room by myself."

"Well, on the plus side you won't have to sleep alone ever again unless Draco's called away for a mission that will take a few days."

"Thankfully," Hermione said, sipping her coffee greedily.

"Tom dropped by when I was finishing my letters last night and told me the ceremony will be taking place at eleven, so we don't have a lot of time."

"I can't believe I'm going to be married in less than three hours."

/

Draco was nervous. He'd overly imbibed a little bit the night before but after his elf had brought him some hangover potion the headache and dry mouth went away but the churning stomach remained.

He was about to marry Hermione fucking Granger.

Lucius had told him the night before after a few drinks that he was a very lucky man, and when Theo and Blaise entered the room holding hands they'd agreed. Hermione was a catch and Draco had realized that he did, in fact, love her. He'd been wondering about it ever since Theo had mocked him all those weeks ago, but now he wasn't ashamed in any sort of way.

She _was_ a catch and he would be proud to call her his.

"How are you doing?" Theo asked from across the breakfast table.

"Nervous," Draco admitted. "Not scared or anything though."

"Good," Blaise replied, and Draco noticed that they both seemed extremely happy again.

"Did you get everything sorted?"

"My dad said he'd disown me but after talking to Blaise I've decided I don't care."

"You're always welcomed here, Theo, so if anything goes down please feel free to stay at the Manor."

"Thank you, Lord Malfoy," Theo said, a slight inclination of his head.

"Lucius. You all need to start referring to me as Lucius."

"Go get dressed," Tom ordered. "Even though there are no guests I still want everyone looking their best. For Narcissa's sake."

"She took it a little hard," Lucius admitted.

"I think Hermione deserves at least the semblance of a real wedding as well," Draco said, thinking of his fiancée. "I know for sure my mum is in her room helping her get dressed, so I can only assume she'd planning on wearing her wedding dress regardless of the circumstances."

"It's already ten-thirty!" Tom exclaimed suddenly, jumping from the table. "Ainsley will be here shortly!"

/

Draco was standing in front of a make-shift altar with Ainsley Moore waiting for Hermione to make her appearance. They'd decided to have the ceremony on one of the many balconies – the hallway acting as the aisle. The backdrop behind Draco was gorgeous. The early afternoon sun was shining down on the forest that stretched out for miles behind their manor and there was an open field on the left that had horses galloping around freely. His men were all sitting in chairs wearing suits and Tom was escorting Narcissa down the aisle. Lucius would be walking Hermione to his son.

Narcissa pointed her wand toward the wall when she was halfway down the aisle and music started swelling from an old gramophone on a small desk in the hallway; Draco felt his heart stop when Hermione stepped out of the room down the hall.

Her dress was fairly plain but it made her look incredible, it showed off her tiny waist and the soft flare of her hips. Her long hair was braided to the side in an elegant type of plait, draping over her shoulder; it seemed to have small diamonds woven into it as it winked at Draco as she moved. Her makeup was natural and she looked so fucking amazing that he forgot to breathe for a few moments.

Lucius looked as proud as Draco had ever seen him, and as they approached he could swear he'd seen a small tear in his father's eye. _Un-fucking-believable_.

When she was only a few feet away she smiled at him and he sucked his breath in sharply before he grinned back.

"Who gives this woman away?" the justice asked.

"I, Lucius Malfoy, give this woman away."

Hermione wasn't overly impressed with the wording.

She could do nothing but stare at Draco as she walked down the aisle, her small conjured bouquet of calla lilies was clenched tightly in her slightly sweaty left hand, her right hand fisting the sleeve of Lucius' suit jacket as he guided her down the short hallway. Draco was wearing a black suit that had a small flower pinned to the lapel of his jacket, his hair was styled very much the same way it had been during their engagement photoshoot and he was grinning at her widely.

She returned his smile tentatively, her heart beating so hard that she wasn't sure if she'd make it to her fiancé before it burst.

She met Draco at the altar and he placed his hand on her back, turning her to join him in watching their justice, Ainsley Moore. His hand fell upon bare skin and his eyes widened momentarily before he _had_ to fucking look, and then he had to supress a moan when he realized there was no back to the dress at until just above her ass-crack.

The ceremony passed in a blur and the one thing Hermione really remembered was the binding ceremony. The justice had used a special silken tie to join their hands. Hermione could feel the magic bubbling through her skin and a strange loosening in her chest as he informed them that it was their magic recognizing each other and remembering – joining together in their blood. They'd repeated words in Latin and the crescendo built up to the point where Hermione started to sweat a little bit, Draco's breaths were coming out in pants beside her and she felt the sudden urge to jump him right there in front of everyone.

"I've been told you've both wanted to add your own vows to the bonding ceremony, so go ahead, Draco," Ainsley Moore said, leaving the tie around their joined hands so their own vows would cement with their bond.

"I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, declare that all my love, power, and being will – from this moment on – be put forth into ensuring the love, safety, protection and power of my wife, Hermione Jean Granger. I also put forward this vow towards any children conceived – they, as well as Hermione, will be my utmost priority. May our marriage radiate power, love and dedication that will triumph over all. I, Draco Lucius Malfoy promise that the words exchanged today hold truth and bonding until death do us part."

Hermione couldn't help the tears that spilled over her eyelids as the silken tie around her wrist and hand throbbed with the magic and truth behind his words. She knew that she'd never be able to top the words and she wasn't going to be insulting and even try. Instead she repeated the words to Draco as he helped her remember them all and word them properly.

Once she was done speaking the magic hummed through her blood into her very core, making her skin feel tingly. Something deep in her chest suddenly felt like it was snapping apart and she doubled over for a moment, breathing out harshly as her hand jumped up and pressed into her skin.

"Oh," she said, surprised by the feeling but not understanding what was happening.

Draco was looking at her closely and had just reached a hand out to help steady her when Justice Moore gasped quietly and leaned in toward them so closely that Hermione could feel his breath on her face.

"Your magic," he whispered, while still managing to sound completely shocked. "Did you know it had been somewhat bound?!"

"No," she gasped, straightening up again as the strange sensation of a rubber band snapping in her chest lessened. Draco had a sudden vision of all of the times Hermione's magic had burst from her uncontrollably when she'd been angry or upset and wanted to kick himself for not realizing what was happening earlier.

"Dumbledore," Draco growled quietly, his eyes shining in anger. Once the last band snapped from Hermione's core Draco could even feel the magic roaring through his veins, making the hairs on his arms stand at attention beneath his suit jacket. He suppressed a shudder and watched as his wife clenched and unclenched her fists a few times, shaking out her hands before smiling up at him with the most dazzling look he'd ever received in his life.

Hermione could hear sniffling from the small group of people sitting cross from them, but she kept her eyes on Draco's, each of them silently telling the other to keep what had just happened between the two of them. No one had heard the quiet words they'd spoken and it had happened so quickly she wasn't even sure anyone realized, other than her doubling over, which would be easily explained away.

"Do you, Draco Malfoy, take Hermione Granger as your bonded life partner from here on out for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Draco asked, staring at Hermione without blinking.

"And do you, Hermione Granger, take Draco Malfoy as your bonded life partner from here on out for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Hermione said immediately and the silken tie glowed bright before falling away, fluttering to the floor. Hermione and Draco's arms had small welts on them where the magic had forced into their skin to huddle in their very organs and bones, laying in their consciousness to remind them what they had just vowed to each other.

They stared.

"The rings?" Ainsley asked and Theo came forward, holding one out for Draco before turning to Hermione.

They slid their rings on each other's fingers quickly, their eyes still joined.

"You may now kiss your bonded life partner," Justice Moore said, and Hermione and Draco joined at the lips so quickly their friends snickered from their seats.

Hermione and Draco broke apart and she sent a small glare toward Blaise, who was still laughing quietly, before Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her down the aisle and back into the house where there was a small 'reception' waiting, which was really just a small spread of food the elves had put out for their enjoyment.

"I'm sorry it wasn't much," Draco whispered, the back of her hand at his lips.

"It was perfect," Hermione assured, smiling widely as her eyes shone with more tears.

"Let's talk about the binding later, okay?"

"Of course," she whispered, leaning in and pressing her lips to his gently.

 **Don't forget to review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N- Wow! Thank you for all of the reviews! It means so much to me. Now before we get into this chapter I just have to let everyone know that I am, once again, extremely nervous about posting this. I'm not going to say anything so I don't give anything away but please let me know what you think after you've finished reading it!**

 **Also! I'm looking for a new beta. Mine has way too much going on in her life right now and I honestly don't feel great about posting chapters that haven't been beta read - I don't feel as though its fair to you as my readers to be reading a story that isn't up to its full potential, so if someone wants the job just let me know!**

 **Thanks!**

 **Chapter Eighteen**

Hermione felt different.

She was pulled against Draco's chest tightly, her hand clenched in his as he guided her gently around the small makeshift dancefloor. Lucius and Narcissa were also dancing, but the rest of their friends were goofing off and eating instead of partaking in the silly wedding traditions. Tom had disappeared pretty much immediately after the ceremony had taken place but neither Draco nor Hermione really noticed, since they were so wrapped up in each other and the new feelings coursing through their bodies.

The power that had broken free during their marriage was startling, but now that she had it back she had to wonder how she'd never realized it was missing in the first place. It was hard to get used to it there, beneath her skin and flowing through her veins with her blood; she felt charged up, energized, and she was suddenly reminded of how she'd been in her younger years. She was glad to have it back.

Draco's hand was pressed against her bare back and his fingers were caressing it ever so gently, causing her to shiver slightly every time they danced across her spine. They hadn't done much other than have a small meal and dance, and it was still only sometime after noon, but Hermione had the indecent feelings that she wanted to take her husband directly upstairs to their bedroom and fuck him rudely for the rest of the day.

She felt like her blood was humming through her veins powerfully, faster than it usually did, but her heartbeat felt the same. Hermione felt hyper-aware of her surroundings ever since she'd been bonded to Draco and she felt underlying tension in her chest that took her a little while to realize was Draco's feelings deep down in her soul.

He was aroused as well, she could feel it.

Hermione pulled away from Draco a little bit and looked up into his eyes; when they connected she felt a small spark that made her breath catch. His eyes were quicksilver pools that she was falling into rapidly and she found she couldn't pull her eyes away.

"It's two," Lucius said from beside her, causing her to jump violently and Draco's arms to convulse around her body tightly. "I'm going to have to get ready for my interview. Congratulations again and I want you two to go upstairs and see the changes that will have occurred."

"Changes?" Draco asked, finally tearing his eyes away from his wife and looking toward his father.

"Go to the double doors at the end of the east wing, Draco."

Hermione felt something rear in her chest and she understood immediately that Draco knew what his father was hinting at.

"Good luck with your interview," Draco said, and Hermione wished her father-in-law good luck hastily as Draco pulled her from the room by the hand. They didn't spare a word for Narcissa or any of their friends.

/

"What's in the east wing?" Hermione asked, stumbling a little bit in her heels as Draco pulled her down the halls, his excitement pounding deep in her chest. It was a strange sensation, but she figured she'd get used to it and also learn to differentiate between both of their emotions – she knew the excitement was Draco's because she was feeling rather confused and nervous.

They finally pulled up to a stop at the double doors at the end of the east wing and Draco turned to her with a huge smile on his face.

"Draco? What…?"

He turned and threw open the doors to a huge suite. They stepped into a large living area that had couches and large overstuffed armchairs spread around a large coffee table atop warm coloured incredibly soft looking area rugs. There was a massive fireplace dominating the main wall and was flanked by two large windows that went from the floor to the ceiling and looked out over a field of horses and Hermione could see a small lake in the distance.

She really hadn't explored the property enough.

"Holy fuck," she said.

Draco dragged her through the room and pushed open another set of French doors that opened to a private bedroom. Their belongings had already been moved to their new rooms and Hermione gaped at the size of the bedroom that was now hers to share with her husband. Their large king bed was placed atop a dais, the coverings all new – the duvet cover, pillow shams and throw pillows all echoed the warm tones that were in the rugs in their living area. Their bedroom had a side table on either side of the bed that held a small bowl that Hermione knew was for conjured flames – almost like a lamp in the wizarding world.

She dropped Draco's hand and walked toward a door that she thought would be a bathroom, but upon opening it she laid her eyes on the largest closet she'd ever seen in her life.

"You can't complain about me taking up all of your space in this closet, Draco!" Hermione called, thinking he was still at the door. She jumped when his hands slipped inside the back of her dress, surprised she hadn't sensed him so close but dropping that thought as his warm hands rubbed around her sides and over her flat stomach, causing her to moan quietly.

Hermione turned around fluidly and pushed up onto her toes and connected her lips to Draco's, her tongue pushing into his mouth almost immediately as she nipped at his lips as his mouth opened invitingly.

He groaned and Hermione felt her body quiver in anticipation. Her stomach muscles tightened and goosebumps broke out on her rapidly flushing skin.

She reached up to the back of her neck and unbuttoned the one clasp holding her dress up – upon its release the front of the dress fell forward, but was trapped between their bodies. Draco's hands were all over her bare back, setting her skin on fire.

She was beginning to feel impatient at the double arousal she was feeling – her own and Draco's deep in her chest – so she reached up boldly and decided to test her 'new magic'.

She barely had to think about what she wanted to happen and Draco's clothes were completely gone. He sucked in a sharp breath as the cool air hit his skin and backed away a step, shocked to find himself naked as she grinned at him.

Hermione giggled until she noticed that Draco was staring at her closely, but not in her eyes. She glanced down and saw that her breasts were completely exposed because the top of her dress had fallen down when he'd stepped away, and even though Draco had seen her naked numerous times she couldn't stop the blush that stained her skin almost to her waist. He could feel her nervous anticipation deep inside his soul and thought it was adorable that she still felt nervous and shy about the idea of having sex with him.

"You're fucking beautiful," he groaned, and as he watched Hermione slipped her dress down the flare of her hips with her thumbs and dropped it so it pooled at her feet, the material shimmering on its way down her body – like a waterfall of silk that exposed the most gorgeous sight to his eyes. He almost had a heart palpitation when he saw the only thing covering her was a small triangle of white material, she saw where he was looking and turned slightly, showing him that she was wearing a tiny white g-string. "Merlin," he breathed, and her cheeks flamed.

Hermione was feeling rather bold, and she figured it was because she was able to feel Draco's arousal as well, so she stepped forward and dropped to her knees in front of him.

"Fuck," Draco groaned, gripping her head in both hands, his hands tangling in her hair as he desperately tried to support himself – he willed his knees not to buckle because if he went down she was going with him. He let her continue with her ministrations for a few minutes because it just felt _so fucking good_ , but he knew if she continued he'd never make it to actual intercourse.

"Come here," he breathed, gripping her biceps gently as he pulled her to her feet. Hermione smiled shyly at him and he almost came when he saw her swollen red lips glistening in the dim light.

He picked her up carefully and deposited her on their huge bed so that her hips were on the edge and her legs draped down over the side, pulling her tiny knickers off slowly while she panted for breath. He situated himself on his knees on the floor at the edge of the bed and moved her legs so they were over his shoulders, kissing her thighs with an open, wet mouth on his way toward her center. His hands were roaming her body with gentle caresses and when they met her nipples he pinched them slightly, causing a shock of pleasure to shoot through her body that made her twitch violently.

She moaned loudly and her thighs contracted tightly around his head when he did something entirely pleasant with his tongue. Hermione's moans increased and she was suddenly pushing him away, gasping.

"I want you inside me," she said, her cheeks flaming because of her words but she looked serious – and so fucking gorgeous that he groaned aloud again.

He wasn't going to deny her request and helped her move farther onto the bed, propping pillows behind her back before settling between her thighs; she instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him full access.

They moaned together once they were joined and Hermione urged him on, rolling her hips to match his thrusts as he sped up and became rougher. Her hands clutched at his back, his shoulders, anywhere she could reach, and her fingernails were leaving little half-moon indentations on his otherwise flawless skin. As their moans increased in volume and Hermione started chanting his name he tried to go deeper, hitting a spot inside of her that had her almost keening. She came with a warning and a yell, her body convulsing and gripping him tightly as her nails dug into his back and her eyelids fluttered.

"Fuck," he groaned. Watching her come undone was more erotic than anything else he'd ever witnessed in his entire life but he stopped and pulled out, turning her over so he could take her ruthlessly from behind as she continued moaning almost wantonly. Her hand reached up and her fingers touched her tongue before slithering from his sight where it was supporting her head and disappearing beneath her body.

"Fuck," she said, her body twitching when she touched her fingers gently to herself, and Draco felt her muscles clench around him again. They moved in sync and Draco knew he wasn't going to last much longer because of the way her muscles gripped his length but he tried to keep it together.

"Fuck, fuck, go, go, go!" She yelled suddenly and Draco gave it all he had before he couldn't handle it anymore. He heard her crying out his name again and finally let himself go with a loud groan, stars bursting before his eyes.

They laid still for a few minutes, each of them trying to catch their breath.

"You're amazing," he said, reaching for her hair. He unbraided it slowly as she sighed from beneath him.

"Let's shower," she suggested once her hair was free from its confines. Draco didn't answer immediately and continued running his hands through her hair, effectively pulling out the curls ever so slowly.

"I suppose we should," he said after a few minutes, his body cooling as the sweat dissipated from his skin.

He stood up and helped Hermione to her feet – she was still wearing her shoes. Draco laughed before bending down and helping her to take them off and then lead her to their ensuite bathroom behind another door.

/

"We've got our own sitting room in our bedroom now! As well as another, smaller room that I think was probably meant to be an office but I'm pretty sure I'm going to use as a reading room. It's all windows and I've already transfigured a few items to be huge couches where I can just relax."

"I'm glad you like it," Narcissa replied distractedly, clearly not impressed about their room. Draco and Hermione hadn't made it back downstairs at all after their wedding the previous day and Hermione thought his mum was taking it rather personally, but the subject was too awkward to bring up with the woman.

"How was Lucius' interview?" Hermione asked, catching Draco's attention as well. Tom and Lucius had went to Hogwarts early that morning so they could check on a few things before Hermione attempted the blood wards the next day.

"It went well – he's a shoe-in for the Minister position, no doubt. Especially with all the interviews the Prophet got from innocent by-standers at the Hogwarts takeover – the Order really turned their wands on themselves with that mistake."

"I think the sooner he runs the quicker he'll get in," Draco said. "I bet they could overthrow Fudge with no problem, now."

"I think that's the idea but they want it to seem like the publics idea instead of theirs."

"Smart," Hermione commented, sipping from her tea cup.

"He'll be running the Ministry within the next couple months, anyway."

"Good," Draco said.

/

"Should we talk about what happened during our bonding ceremony?" Draco asked from beside Hermione while they were laying in the dark.

"The Justice said that my magic had been bound," Hermione answered quietly, her foot rubbing up and down Draco's calf in her nervousness. "I hadn't been aware that I was bound at all so I really don't have any answers."

"Maybe it will make sense to you the more you use your magic and get used to it again."

"There would have to be a reason that I was bound, I can only imagine that it was Dumbledore who decided to do it since I really don't know anyone who would."

"We know he felt threatened by you… maybe he was just binding it so that you'd never be able to overthrow him?"

"I honestly have no idea, Draco."

"Let's give it a bit. I'm sure his reasons will become apparent sooner or later."

/

"It's only a couple days, Hermione," Draco complained as they packed a bag to take to Hogwarts with them. The rest of the men were staying behind to continue with their training and Hermione was packing an obscene amount of things, in his opinion.

They were staying at Hogwarts for a few days because Hermione knew that with a property that large they would never be able to get it done within one day.

"I want all the books I need so I can reference to them when I need them and I might as well bring some light reading, as well."

"Light reading?" He asked, watching her put a handful of journal looking books into her own bag.

"Yes," she said, turning away and picking out outfits to take.

"Tom said he's going to meet us in the Great Hall whenever we get there."

"He can't stay," Hermione said, looking nervous. "I can't have anyone else in the property while I'm doing the blood wards… it might get confused. Whoever's blood I'm using will take to the property with the spells I cast and because I'm the caster it won't become befuddled but with anyone else there it won't work properly."

"How am I able to come, then?"

"We're bonded, Draco," she said, rolling her eyes like he'd asked the dumbest question she'd ever heard.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to finish packing. He'd finished a while ago and was just watching her closely, shocked by the way he felt since their bonding. He was unsure if he'd actually loved her before their marriage but all those doubts were out the window now – his vows had sealed everything and his feelings toward her were stronger than they'd ever been toward anyone else. Even watching her pack her clothes, her eyebrows pulled in toward one another as she tried to decide which outfit to bring on their outing was enthralling.

"I'm ready," she exclaimed, turning around and smiling at him, but hesitating when she saw the serious look on his face. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he said, his cheeks tinging slightly.

"Are you sure? You looked really serious right there."

"Everything's perfect," he answered, smiling brightly at her.

"Let's go."

/

Hermione stood at the gates of Hogwarts with her wand in its holster and her hands out in front of her, palms toward the gates and blood dripping down her wrists onto the metal. Draco could feel the seriousness of what was happening and stood perfectly still, his eyes on her every move to ensure she was safe and kept his mouth shut – she couldn't do with any distractions at the moment.

She was mumbling a spell under her breath that he didn't recognize and after a few more words her body started shaking slightly. He could feel her energy depleting through the air since he was so aware of her now and he moved a little closer to her as her hands gripped the iron rails tightly, seeming to be the only thing holding her up as her knees buckled from underneath her.

As she finished the spell a bright light shot from her every pore, lighting her up almost eerily before she dipped to the ground, her hands letting go of the gates in front of her.

Draco knew the wards were in place in this area of the grounds and rushed forward, kneeling down and gathering her into his arms. He propped her body against his as he held his hand over hers, healing the wounds on them and siphoning the blood away as she gasped in his arms.

"I'm okay," she said, after she caught her breath.

"It takes a lot out of you," Draco said, worriedly.

"I know, but it's worth it. I still can't believe he wanted me to use my own blood for this – he essentially gave me Hogwarts, you know. I'll control it now."

"I can't believe it either," he said, helping her to stand before turning away and making their way up the vast grounds toward the entrance doors.

"I basically own this, Draco, and so do you by extension. That's quite the gift."

"He said he knew you'd be the best person for it because of your love for this school and your hate for the Order."

"They aren't all bad, you know. I really can't wait to see Neville again."

"I know they aren't all bad, Hermione, just like all Death Eaters aren't good, but the main point is that the big forces of the Order – Dumbledore, Potter, Weasley – they fucked up so bad when they did what they'd done to you and you'll never forgive them for that."

"I want to kill them, Draco. Maybe not Dumbledore because he's going to get his really soon here, but Harry and Ron… I want to be the one to watch the lights leave their eyes, like I did with Remus. I want to be the one who feels my knife sink into their bodies and rob them of everything they'd ever known."

They walked in silence for a while before they reached the entrance doors and Draco opened one, ushering Hermione in before him and pressing close to her body, aroused from the previous conversation that was still banging around in his brain. For some reason it always turned him on – he felt weird about it sometimes but usually just brushed it off and went with it, thinking his inner darkness was just taking hold and over his senses completely.

"I'll kill them if I ever see them, Hermione, and I mean that."

"I want the chance."

"If I see them, they're gone. Our vows are very serious to me and I hate those fucking tossers more than I ever thought I could. I hate them for so many reasons, but what they did to you… I will destroy them. Ron Weasley is a dead man walking."

"I understand that, Draco," she said, visions of him working his scythe floating in front of his mind. "I just feel like killing them won't even be enough."

He halted their progress to their shared room that used to belong to a teacher when they attended the school and stared at her. "You mean you want to torture them?"

"Yes."

Draco groaned.

Hermione looked at him knowingly, she knew exactly what was going through his mind because the same things happened to her when he spoke about killing someone – destroying them.

"I want to tie them up somewhere, Draco," she said, and his eyes narrowed at the look on her face. She knew exactly what she was doing. "I'm going to and once they're incapacitated I'll turn my wand on them, using painful curses so I can listen to them cry and plead for me to stop."

Draco pulled her into his body and crashed his lips to hers roughly, biting and nipping at her lips before she opened her mouth and their tongues were tangling together. His mind was on overdrive and he broke their kiss, sucking a specific spot on her neck as he lifted her at her upper thighs and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He was in a rush and before he realized what was really happening, he had pushed her knickers beneath her skirt to the side and was buried inside her and pressing her hard to one of the walls – taking her in the hallway of a school they used to attend together.

Oh, how their lives had changed.

/

"Draco?"

Hermione was sitting by the window in a pair of small shorts and a tank top, her long hair loose and damp against her back from a recent shower.

"Yeah?" he asked from his spot on the bed. It was late and he was surprised that she was still awake after the draining day of setting blood wards around the school.

"Can you look at this with me? I don't know if what I'm reading is correct or not..."

She sounded worried and Draco looked up at her, seeing that she looked even a little bit scared. Her eyebrows were drawn in together and she seemed a little more doe-eyed than usual.

He threw the covers off and approached her, wearing nothing but sleep pants and his muscles rippled in the dim light as he crossed the room.

"What is it?" he asked, settling in beside her as she shifted against him, the journal in her hands. She held the book out so they could look at it together and he saw vaguely familiar scribbles on the parchment. He read the words quickly through once before he pulled the journal from her hands and read it more intently a second time.

"What the fuck is this?" He asked, his voice hoarse as he realized why he recognized the writing – it was the same writing that he had studied when learning Parseltongue. That information had also come to him in a small, handwritten journal.

"Draco… it says that Tom issued for the Greengrasses to be attacked by our side because of their wavering loyalty – Eric Greengrass was more worried about his career than he was about joining raids, which is something we all know, but we didn't know that Tom was feeling rather bitter about it."

"Oh, fuck, it says right here that he had used Peregrine Derrick – he was a few years ahead of me in school – to attack Daphne so brutally."

"Why would Tom turn it all around so we believed the Order had attacked them?" Hermione asked, completely horrified by what was written in the notebook.

"I don't know," Draco mumbled, totally confused about what he was seeing. "Maybe to cement your hatred toward them?"

"Why were the Order there in the first place? Ron Weasley attacked you so we know they were there… and why did Daphne tell me that it was the Weasley twins who had attacked her?"

Draco didn't have an answer so he ruffled through the pages of the notebook quickly.

"Where are the rest of the journals?" He asked Hermione and she gestured toward the side table on her side of the bed.

Draco retrieved the rest of the notebooks and sat back down beside her, handing her a couple of the books but keeping a few for himself to look through. He picked one at random and began flipping through the pages, stopping when his eyes fell upon another horrifying sight. A drawing of the Dark Mark dominated the parchment, diagrams spiraling out of it and small lines that were labelled to specific sections of the marks that were burned into both his and his wife's arm caught his attention.

"What the fuck?" he asked, hunching forward over the journal in his hands as his world unravelled entirely. "Where did you say you found these?"

"They were in the library in the manor stuffed behind a bunch of books on one of the shelves. I don't know why they would have been there, if they are what I think they are."

Draco groaned audibly, his skin crawling uneasily as he took in what he was staring at.

"Well this looks like a drawing of our marks and how they have specific holds over our lives. Look here – it says 'Malevolent Mixture', and is labelled right at the tongue of the snake… and right here, look, Hermione! It says 'Chelidonium Miniscula'…"

"I don't know what either of those are, Draco," Hermione said, turning her head so she could look up at him. He noted her faintly pink cheeks and realized she was embarrassed about not knowing something.

"Oh fuck, Hermione. Chelidonium Miniscula is an old potion that's easily transferred into the body through the skin and it being a part of our Dark Marks could be… bad. It's a plant and the black seeds are used for potion making – it makes the drinker incredibly aggressive and the Malevolent Mixture would ensure that everyone exposed to it start thinking dark thoughts."

"Aggressive?" she asked, looking at the brand on her arm closely.

"Very much so. Oh, lord," he said, his eyes back on the book.

"What?" Hermione asked, her voice an octave higher than usual as her mind whirred with the new information she was receiving.

"Potion No. 28."

"That's rumoured to be an old experiment," Hermione denied. "There's no way he would have put it in our marks."

"Potion No. 28 was rumoured to be a slight hallucinogenic, Hermione, and it says here," Draco had flipped through a few more pages, "that it'll be factored in to make things during fights and raids come across as scarier and more threatening so that we won't hesitate in murdering our adversaries."

"Oh, my God," Hermione breathed, thinking about the things that had happened to her during raids. Did Seamus Finnegan really attack her, or was that just an effect from the experimental potion? "Would Tom have been able to ensure what we were seeing in our 'visions'?"

"I doubt he'd take the time to key them all separately to us. I think he probably found a way to have the potions do what he wanted to everyone in turn – maybe even showing us our biggest fears, or something."

They sat in silence and stared at each other for a moment – the air tense and thick.

"Do you see what this means, Hermione? Can this be true?!"

Draco was almost entering full-panic mode at the thoughts of everything that had happened during his entire reign of being a Death Eater – had things been as bad as he'd thought, or was it all the cause of a strategically used hallucinogenic?

"I see that Tom had planned the Dark Mark's long before anyone was ever branded and he made sure that once we wore the marks on our skin we would be malleable to do what he wanted from us. He poisoned us all to be aggressive and get off on the idea of death and murder… he planned it all so that he'd get our support while making things seem good and noble. He dosed us with a hallucinogen so we wouldn't see things as they truly were," Hermione said, her eyes wide and frightened.

"That doesn't explain everything, though. You were enamoured with him long before you'd been marked and you were already angry and aggressive."

"I was angry and aggressive because I'd been raped, Draco! Anyone would be angry about that and of course I want to kill Ron and also Harry for the things that they've done to me… but…"

"Maybe not everyone…"

"Exactly! I know there are people who've deserved my hate but now I'm worried that some of the things that happened maybe didn't happen the way I thought they had in the heat of the moment. What if I killed someone ruthlessly who really didn't deserve it?! I've been so angry towards everyone and, Christ, when you talk about murdering people who were once considered my friends with your goddamned scythe I get wet within seconds – that's not me, Draco! I've never been an overly violent person and I left the Order because of their behaviour concerning that."

"I never wanted to kill, either, in the beginning," Draco pointed out, and Hermione knew he was telling the truth. If he'd been lying she'd be able to feel it through their bond and she felt sad for him, he'd been an active Death Eater for years longer than her. He had years' worth of memories that he had to sift through and try to figure out whether they were true or the cause of Potion No. 28. Neither of them said anything but Draco could feel Hermione trembling against him slightly and he could feel the sadness deep in his chest – her sadness and anger about being used, again.

"We're going to die if we openly defy him – if we even _think_ about leaving them we'll be struck down."

Draco wasn't listening fully, he finished reading other facts about their marks before he started ruffling through another journal quickly, so roughly Hermione was worried he'd rip the pages out.

"Amortentia," he breathed, and Hermione looked up at him in alarm.

"How could he have possibly put amortentia in our marks?"

"Not in our marks – look! It says here he will threaten all house elves with clothes and make them understand that there are things worse than death… he's been forcing all of our house elves to feed us mild amortentia potions for years. Fucking years!"

"Every house elf?"

"Every single one that belongs to any Death Eater, yes. You don't know this because you live at the Manor and he was there first but whenever someone is recruited he does an inspection of their home for magical devices that could be recording things or whatever but I bet he's really going there so he can threaten the elves."

"But… why? Aren't elves only loyal to their own families?"

"Generally, yes. When Tom started living at our Manor he made it abundantly clear to my parents, and every other Death Eater who owned house elves that he was the highest in rank so our elves would have to listen to him over anyone else. Pretty much every Death Eater owns an elf and if they don't they stay with people who do – even you, Hermione. I'm assuming this was done so that we'd believe in everything he was telling us, follow him blindly."

"Oh, my God," Hermione said, bending at the hips so her chest was on her thighs. She felt like vomiting and Draco reached out and rubbed her back lightly and gently, feeling sick himself. "I drank tea in the manor before I even met him, Draco. Your mum gave it to me when I woke up the first time. I also ate some – not much, but some – of the food you provided me in the forest. I remember during my first meeting with Tom that I liked him a lot more than I wanted to."

Everything he knew was a lie. Everyone was being fooled and taken in by an evil man who had plans, judging by these accidentally found journals, to take over the entire world – not just Wizarding Britain, and things weren't going to stay peachy fucking keen forever.

He'd seen things while ruffling through the pages quickly. Tom had absolutely no love for Muggleborns and he wasn't interested in keeping them alive and obliviated and sent back to the muggle world. Oh no. They'd all be wiped out – his lies about keeping the bloodlines alive by dispersing muggle blood was all just a farce so he'd gain power. Draco knew that the idea was right, that they'd be wiped out within a century if they continued inbreeding, but apparently it was all a farce made up by Tom in order to get ahead.

Apparently Hermione had been right about the prophecy considering Harry Potter in a sense, one would have to kill the other – no one else would be able to pull it off, for whatever reason. Draco had to wonder if the story they'd been fed about Tom trying to recruit his parents that resulted in a duel and their death was true, or if Dumbledore's tale was a little more accurate. Draco picked up the final journal and scanned it quickly, searching for something specific.

"It seems he was telling the truth about the prophecy concerning you, Hermione," he said after he found what he was looking for. "He did truly want you on our side because of your power, at least until he was able to control most of the magical community, but I don't think he realized what he's done by having us marry – having us bond. We're stronger than he is, much, much stronger."

Draco was glad the prophecy was true because he'd fucking murder anyone who tried to take Hermione from him and judging by the plans Tom had in store for Muggleborns… he wouldn't be lenient on any of them, no matter how much they had to offer. Hermione was the exception – until the war was won, at least.

"I feel sick," Hermione stated, a hand pressed to her forehead. "Think about the interview and photoshoot we did for our engagement! Tom kept saying it was because he wanted to sway younger people to our side of the war and the best way to pull that off was having them look at the two of us as role models. Oh, fuck."

"We'll worry about that later, Hermione. We need to do something about Tom first and foremost."

"Draco," Hermione said, shifting so her cheek was resting on her knee. "If we try and do something we're going to die."

"No we won't, Hermione," he said confidently. She sat up and met his eyes again, curiosity alight on her face. "No, we won't."

"Its part of the vow we took, Draco. We can't defy him!"

"Think, Hermione! Think about our vows we took when we bonded. Everything we vowed to him would have been overridden by our bonding ceremony because it's such a deeper type of magic – it's ancient and strong."

"He didn't even realize…"

"He's not a Pureblood, Hermione. He probably doesn't even know better."

Hermione sighed.

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	20. Chapter 20

**A/N- Sorry for the long wait but I was finding a new beta (yay!) and then she did a phenomenal job working on this chapter for me, so I really hope you guys think the wait was worth it!**

 **A huuuuggeeeee thank you to Nina for all your hard work on this chapter, I really appreciate it! Also to everyone who has taken the time to review/favourite/follow this story!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

"Draco—I want to look at the corridor where we fought Remus and his men."

"Why?! We know they dampened our magic for sure and we know he was there and goading you so there's no point."

"I just want to see if there's any evidence as to how many bodies we burned…"

Draco's eyes widened as the words sunk in. Had there been as many men as it had seemed or was that part of Potion No. 28 fucking with their heads?

They were sitting in their rooms having a small breakfast, mostly just moving the food around on their plates and avoiding their teacups. Hermione didn't want to hurt the elves' feelings by refusing the meal and Draco thought it wouldn't do any favours for them to bring attention to the fact that they weren't eating it. For all they knew, the elves would inform Tom they weren't touching their food, but there was no way either of them were going to continue knowingly eating or drinking anything provided by Tom and his threatened elves.

"You need to finish with the blood wards before anything else. I think I'm going to run down to Hogsmeade and buy some food and drinks for the rest of our stay here – I don't trust this shit. Maybe I'll do that as you finish warding the property. Getting the grounds sealed is of utmost priority right now but I don't think you're going to need me – I haven't helped at all."

"No, you go ahead. By the way. I have it set so that you and I are able to apparate in and out but I don't really want to be here alone for too long – it's creepy – so please hurry back."

"I won't be long. I need to get some things though because there's no way I'm allowing either of us to eat this anymore."

"I agree. I'm going to wander around for a bit and finish putting the wards in place… I just have so much thinking to do. Why do you think we're figuring all of this out just now and not when we took our vows?"

"We probably had to have been made aware of it before we would be able to break free – a lot of dark curses work that way."

"Oh," Hermione answered, her mind wandering.

"I'll find you when I'm back," Draco promised before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. "Everything's going to work out for us, Hermione, I promise."

She gave him a soft smile but didn't say anything as he gathered his cloak and gloves, secured his wand in its sheath, and disappeared. Hermione took a deep breath and left their room to finish putting up the wards – she needed to ensure that no one else could enter the property unless they'd been given her express permission. She would allow Tom entrance for now and continue to do as she'd been previously, but she was going to restrict almost everyone else until she and Draco could figure out what to do.

She'd been lied to and manipulated once again and she was beyond pissed off. She'd essentially been drugged and poisoned on top of it all and she wanted to murder the man who'd done it. Of course, it wasn't going to be that simple. She'd told Draco when she first went to Tom that she wouldn't tolerate being lied to – she'd tested everyone to see if they'd be truthful with her and they all were, to a certain extent. The one lie she'd been told was so fucking enormous that no one else had seen it either – they'd all been used.

She had no idea why the journals had been left in the library. It seemed very strange that they were just stuffed behind a few books. They weren't in a safe place, by any means, and she really didn't understand what such sensitive information was doing laying around.

Who'd put them there? Was it an accident that they were there or had they been left there on purpose for her to find? If so, who'd left them?

She had so many questions that she knew were probably never going to get answered.

Hermione sighed before stepping outside the main castle doors and apparating to the other side of the Black Lake; she stood and watched the water for a few moments, lost in thought. She blinked when the giant squid broke the thin ice on top of the lake with one tree-sized tentacle and she pulled herself out of her thoughts.

She really needed to focus on the task that she currently needed to complete.

Hermione looked down at her hands and cut them open with her mind – not even bothering with her wand or a knife – and then began the warding ritual.

/

Draco bought an obscene amount of food in the village; he wasn't about to eat or drink anything provided by one Tom Riddle. He apparated back into their room in Hogwarts with large bags filled to the brim with enough food for weeks.

He was secretly wishing he could ward the school to keep everyone the fuck out and live there alone with his wife and future children as hermits. He'd do it, too, if he could avoid thinking about his best friends and parents still out there, poisoned and misled, following a man who had been lying to them for years. If he could tell them about the situation and bring them to the castle as well, he would, but because of the vow they'd taken they would die if they even thought about leaving.

If only more people used the ancient bonding rituals.

He cast a stasis charm on the groceries he'd bought, warding and placing strong notice-me-not and disillusionment charms on them before he turned and left to find his wife. He could feel deep within in his chest a pull to her presence, so he followed the feelings, figuring it would lead him right to her.  
He wasn't surprised to see her standing in the hallway where they'd burned the bodies of their former teacher and his fellow werewolves. He stepped beside her and put an arm around her waist, his hand settling on her hip to pull her close to his body. She was trembling and he could immediately see why. It was clear that they'd only burned one body during the raid on Hogwarts and that was extremely fucking unsettling when he thought about his memories from that night. The marks on the floor were barely visible but the small scorches were in much too small of an area for the giant pile of bodies they'd thought they'd burned.

This was a confirmation in Draco's mind that everything they'd stumbled across in the journals had been the truth. They'd been taken in and duped, lied to in the worst way – and there were hundreds of Death Eaters who were unknowingly going through the same things. They wouldn't know about any of it and Draco almost wished he could go back to being ignorant of it all – it was so much more peaceful.

"Do you think if we kill him everyone will come to their senses?" He asked his wife who was shaking violently against his side. He finally broke his eyes away from the floor and looked at Hermione, who was crying silently and staring down, red-eyed, at the lone scorch mark on the floor.

"Hermione," he said, grasping her arms and turning her to himself, breaking her eye contact with the floor. "We'll figure it out, I promise, everything'll be fine."

"Draco," she said, and her voice sounded so small that he just wanted to wrap her up and hold her close for the rest of her life. "What if our feelings for each other change once we stop eating and drinking the poisoned stuff?"

"They won't," he assured her. "I do think that we'll start remembering what actually happened during all of our raids. But no matter what else changes, our feelings won't."

"How can you be sure? I mean, look at this! We clearly only murdered Remus and I don't even want to think about how all six of us could have attacked him with our alternative weapons simultaneously. He probably didn't stand a chance – I'm sure we destroyed him ruthlessly. Only one body was burned, Draco! I want this to stop, but I don't want our relationship to change. I love you and I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you."

Draco's stomach contracted tightly at her words – they'd never told each other they loved each other out loud before and Hermione did it so casually that he figured she didn't even realize what she'd said.

"I love you too," he said, and her eyes widened slightly. "I do, and our relationship won't change, Hermione. We took vows, we had a bonding ceremony – the bond won't change because of this. Hell, it won't change because of anything, ever. We're bonded for life, Hermione, and I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."

"I hope so," she said, glancing back at the floor. "I can't believe this. Everything is a lie, Draco. You realize we can't tell anyone at all about this, right? They'll die within seconds if we do, because of the vow. I won't be responsible for anyone else dying. We need to ensure that Blaise, Theo, Greg and Vince stay in the dark about this while still trying to figure out a way to bring him down."

"I'll tell them we're having such a good time here I'd like to stay a little longer as a sort of 'honeymoon' – I'll make it clear we want alone time and we can try to figure out what we're going to do. You realize now it's us against not only Tom, but the Order as well?"

"Good thing Tom unwittingly made us so powerful, then. He's really going to regret that in the end." Her laugh was soft and cynical, and it made Draco's heart ache.

"Yes, he will," Draco answered, his voice sounding dark. Hermione knew he wouldn't take this betrayal well at all. "Are you done with the wards?"

"Yeah. I didn't have much to do today, just around the lake and the far end of the Forbidden Forest were left since we managed to get almost all of the boundary wards done yesterday. I've decided to continue giving Tom and specific Death Eaters access to the castle for now; once things get set into motion I'll restrict them."

"Good," Draco said distractedly, turning away from the scorch marks on the floor and pulling her along by her hand. "We need to eat something since we didn't have any breakfast and I'll floo Tom about us sticking around here a few days longer." He stroked her finger with his thumb, deciding to magically sanitize the hallway as soon as possible, for her peace of mind.

"I'm starving," Hermione said, distracted from her thoughts as her stomach grumbled loudly.

/

"I need to speak to Neville," Hermione stated as they were eating lunch. "I can't allow him to join Tom now that I know what I do – I can't allow any of my former friends or anyone I know to do that." She watched a light snow falling on the Quidditch pitch, struck by the peaceful view she remembered from her school days. How could it look the same when so much had changed?

"I completely understand," Draco answered, leaning back in his chair and watching her closely. He'd do anything he could to get his parents and friends out of the situation and if he had anyone left in his life who wasn't already a Death Eater he'd do anything he could to keep them away.

They were trying to figure out what the hell they were going to do about their double defection when their marks burned simultaneously.

"What the hell?!" Draco exclaimed. "I told him the other day we were taking some time to ourselves!"

"That obviously doesn't matter to him, Draco. Duty calls. Remember, we have to act the exact same as we always have."

Now that they'd been eating and drinking their own supplies for the last four days they weren't enamoured with the man who'd been dosing them with love potion. They needed to keep it together in front of him, though, because they weren't prepared to blow their cover.

They each changed into their Death Eater outfits quickly before clenching hands and apparating to Malfoy Manor. They appeared in the entry hall and it was bustling with people.

"There you are!" Tom exclaimed, rushing forward. "We're attacking the headquarters of the Order!"

Hermione almost retched at his appearance, shocked that even a potion could make her think he was handsome. He still had a head full of dark hair that was greying slightly but his face was nothing close to how she saw it when she was under the influence of his dastardly deeds. His eyes were shaped differently – no longer the almond shape she used to see. They were round and the irises were a blood red that made her want to shudder and his pupils were not round – they were vertical slits that made Hermione think of a cat. His face was sunken and his cheek bones very prominent – the pale, waxy looking skin stretching over them tightly. Tom was almost much skinnier than she recalled, almost emaciated, and looking at him made her completely uncomfortable but she pushed her feelings aside immediately because she couldn't afford for him to figure out that she was no longer under his influence.

Her eyes met Draco's momentarily and she could tell that he was also schooling his features to reflect none of his surprise and loathing.

"Why?" Draco asked, confused. Both he and Hermione knew it would be happening soon but he thought they would have at least been given some warning.

"They've captured two of your men, Draco."

"What?!" Hermione and Draco yelled simultaneously. "Who!? When? Why wasn't I informed of this the moment it happened?!"

"Yesterday afternoon Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe were staking out the house the Order uses as their headquarters to watch their movement. We wanted to get familiar with their patterns so we could be sure to attack at a time when the house was full of members. Crabbe and Goyle were being relieved last night by Dolohov and Gibbon and were then supposed to take back over this morning. Apparently there was some confusion about it. Dolohov and Gibbon were supposed to speak to the two younger men and get any information they might need when they got there last night, but didn't, and when Crabbe and Goyle didn't appear to relieve them this morning they realized there was something wrong. We haven't seen hide nor hair of Ginny Weasley, she better have a damn good excuse for her absence."

Hermione felt sick. Greg and Vince had been taken into headquarters and they'd been in there for at least fifteen hours.

Draco looked positively insane.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? How can two experienced men who have been Death Eaters for years have no fucking idea about proper protocol?!"

"Draco! Hermione!" they heard, and each turned to see Blaise and Theo rushing toward them, cutting off Draco's rant.

Hermione stared at her two friends, glad that she'd been friendly with them long before she joined the Death Eaters because she knew them for who they really were – she knew them before they were Death Eaters as well. She wished she could tell them what had been happening but would never put them at risk like that.

She rushed forward and pulled Theo into a tight hug, causing the man to lean back and look down at her in alarm.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, concern etched into his features.

"Just worried about Greg and Vince," she said as an explanation. She was, of course, but she was also terrified in general. Things needed to go well and she and Draco had to find a way to bring down the evil fuck standing before them. It almost made her sick to have to act subservient to him when she knew the full truth about what was really going on.

"You'll be removing their blood wards, Hermione, so be prepared for that."

Hermione nodded, swallowing loudly. This was it, she'd be removing the wards and allowing the Death Eaters to destroy the people that were once her friends, but she wasn't feeling so jovial about it anymore. Draco gripped her bicep and ran his hand up and down her arm, nervous about her keeping her cool and not attracting any negative attention.

"Just think about Vince and Greg," he whispered. It was the right thing to say because she felt herself straighten and her resolve stiffen immediately. Her friends were trapped in Grimmauld place and she knew exactly how the Order treated their prisoners.

They'd be lucky to be alive when the Death Eaters got there.

"Death Eaters!" Tom Riddle called, attracting his followers' attention. "We all know what happened today. We need to move as soon as possible to rescue our own! Hermione knows how to remove blood wards – she will go now and drop them. Her husband will accompany her and when she's almost removed the wards he'll send us a patronus. The symbol of the fox will be our signal to attack!"

The group broke out into loud cheering and Draco gripped Hermione's hand tightly in his own, nodding once toward Tom and once toward Blaise and Theo before Hermione apparated them away to number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Which house is it?" he asked, and Hermione pointed it out. The secret keeper wards no longer worked around the house after Tom's spies had told him the address years ago, and the word spread quickly, but the blood wards around the house were able to keep unwanted visitors out.

Draco tapped Hermione on the head with his hand and she could feel the magic of a disillusionment charm trickling down her body. She held her hand out in front of her and was in awe at the amount of magic that he possessed – she couldn't even see her hand. Usually the air shimmering was visible when a person was moving around with the charm on, but not this one.

"Thanks," she mumbled, and he gripped her shoulder before nudging her forward.

She took a deep breath and felt Draco's hand searching for hers. She took his fingers in hers and guided him toward the house quickly – she didn't want to take her time or piss Tom off. Once they were close enough to feel the wards she said, "Stay right here as I work on them – you'll be able to feel when the wards are shifting so send your patronus as soon as you feel them start to drop."

"Okay," he breathed softly, feeling extremely nervous. He was so worried about his friends and he had an awful feeling in his stomach about what they were about to find, but he was even more worried about Hermione. The revelation they had stumbled across five days before had changed everything and he was just hoping they – she – could keep it together long enough to figure everything out and bring Tom down. He conjured his patronus, feeling as the fox eased the tension around them, silver twining around Hermione's invisible ankles.

Draco broke his thoughts and started to pay attention to the air around him. He could feel the tension in the air and deep in his chest that signified how freaked out Hermione was, but he could also feel the wards breaking down one by one, the air in front of him feeling thinner and thinner.

He suddenly felt the air in front of him break, shatter, and he sent his patronus immediately to Tom. By the time he arrived with the other Death Eaters the wards would be down completely.

He felt the now broken wards fall to the ground and Hermione stepped back, bumping into him.

"There," she whispered, her breathing laboured. She focused on the house in front of her for a fleeting moment and knew immediately it was empty – with her connection to the wards, she could tell, but before she could question that information Draco reached out and touched his invisible hand to her back.

Draco heard rustling and looked around to see figures appearing out of thin air silently, their robes billowing and their masks shimmering in the afternoon light. He lifted his hand and cancelled both his and Hermione's disillusionment charms immediately so they were seen by their fellow men.

"It's done," Hermione said loud enough for Tom to hear, her chest rising and falling visibly as she took deep, steadying breaths.

Tom hurried forward and slammed the door to Grimmauld place open, stepping through flamboyantly while his Death Eaters pressed in behind him. Hermione and Draco could hear the feet thundering down hallways and up staircases in the house in front of them – the Death Eaters weren't wasting any time whatsoever in trying to find and destroy anyone remaining in the house.

Draco met Hermione's eyes through their masks and could see the reluctance shadowing them.

"We have to do this," he said, even though he was worried about her. She looked so small to him in that moment and he wanted to do nothing more than whisk her away back to Hogwarts and demand she focus solely on putting up the wards, but he couldn't. He had his men in this house and he needed to find them.

"I know," she replied, moving forward and entering the house that she was held captive inside for two years. The house she was raped and beaten in, leading her down a path that was even worse than the one she had previously been on.

If it wasn't for Draco she would have been long gone – let Tom hunt her down and murder her. Since she had a husband, new parents and four friends to worry about she knew she couldn't do anything but swallow her fear, her doubts, and her pain and get inside the house.

Draco followed close on her heels and was shocked to realize that there was no one inside. Death Eaters were searching everywhere but no one had seen any Order members or their captives.

Tom looked extremely livid – something Draco had never before seen with his own eyes.

"Where could they have gone!?" he screamed in a voice pitched higher than usual, his control lost the second he realized the house was devoid of anyone to capture or kill. "Where, Hermione?" he yelled, moving toward her and looking as though he wanted to throttle her – like it was her fault the house was empty. Draco moved in front of her instantly, blocking her from an extremely irate Tom who noticed the movement of protection immediately and stepped back. He ran his hands through his hair in agitation and seemed to be trying to calm himself.

"I don't know," she said as calmly as she could, there was no sense in giving away the fact that she'd noticed his temper. "Maybe the Burrow?"

"What the fuck is 'the Burrow'?!"

"The Weasley family home."

"Someone go to the Burrow!" he yelled, his control slipping again. "If there's anyone present send your patronus!"

"Where are my men?" Draco asked Tom quietly.

"No one's found them," he answered shortly.

"Maybe the cellar?" Hermione asked. She'd never been yelled at by Tom, at least not that she remembered – it was hard to say what with the poisoning and love potion she'd been drinking, but it scared her. He was an extremely dangerous man and she knew that she needed to ensure she kept up her façade.

"Did anyone check the cellar?!" Tom screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

"No, Sir. We haven't found a cellar," Avery answered, and the way he was speaking told Hermione and Draco that he didn't realize Tom was screaming at all. Maybe the potions did make his mood seem less severe to those around him. It was a good thing Hermione and her husband were exceptionally disciplined and had made the resolution to try and act as they always had around the deadly man.

"I'll check," Hermione offered immediately, wanting to get the fuck away from the psychotic man before her. She turned and hurried away, feeling Draco's presence behind her as she went down the stairs.

"What the hell was that?" he muttered to her under his breath and she looked at him with somewhat wide eyes as she shook her head slowly.

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Did you notice how no one else seemed to realize he was screaming?"

"I did. Obviously the potions he's feeding everyone and the poison in their systems are dimming it all."

"I'm so glad our vows were able to override everything and cancel it all out. I couldn't imagine living like this for the rest of our lives."

Hermione nodded and opened a door that revealed a pantry and a square on the floor that obviously opened up and led down to the cellar of the house. She bent down and pulled the square in the floor open. The basement was dark and dingy, the stairs rotting and rickety. Draco followed close to Hermione's heels as they made their way into the dank dungeon-like cellar.

She almost collapsed when she spotted the bloody bodies on the floor.

"No," she choked immediately, moving away from him quickly and throwing herself to her knees in front of the bodies of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

They'd been flayed. Hermione almost vomited at the sight of their bodies, their skin was removed in plenty of areas and Greg's intestines were pulled crudely from his body cavity and spilled down his body towards his legs. Vince was missing an arm – the left arm, coincidentally – and his legs were stripped of skin completely.

Hermione reached out a hand and gently cupped Greg's cheek before sliding his eyes closed. She kissed her fingers and touched them to the dead boys hand as she attempted to arrange his heavy appendages into a more comfortable position while trying to avoid the entrails that had been ripped from his body. She turned to Vince and closed his eyes gently before arranging him in much the same way, sighing heavily as tears coursed down her cheeks.

For some reason Justin Finch-Fletchley's words rang out in her mind in that moment. _This is a harsh reality of the war, though, and it just shows we need to do everything we can to win this thing_. She'd lost her friends, but they for sure knew now that they had been being misled and were probably in a hell of a lot better place than Hermione was in that moment.

She swallowed her sobs and waited for Draco to snap out of it – he seemed to be in some sort of daze but he'd lost two of his closest friends – friends he'd had since they were small children. Hermione cried almost silently, the tears dripping down her face copiously. She had thought to sit down or lean against the wall, fighting against her rising bile when she realized both were liberally coated in blood. Don't faint, she thought to herself, or you'll fall in it.

Draco was stunned the moment he saw the bodies on the floor. His vision went blurry and it seemed like the walls were pressing in on him tightly, making him feel like he was a giant of some sort who'd just entered a tiny little room. His hearing didn't seem to be working properly and all he could hear was a loud rushing, pounding sound echoing loudly in his head and he felt like the floor had disappeared from beneath his feet.

He had no idea how long he stood there in a daze, not seeing, hearing or feeling much of anything, but he finally blinked a few times and looked down at his wife. She had obviously rearranged the bodies from their original, grotesque positions while he was out of it and she was clutching his arm, gazing up into his face with worry etched across her features.

"They'll pay for this," he said hoarsely in a voice that didn't sound anything like his own.

"Yes, they will," she agreed. She took his hands in hers, trying to give him support even though he was trying to be strong. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice catching slightly.

"When I find out who did this they're fucking done."

Hermione didn't know what to say. How do you comfort someone who lost two of his best friends?

"Let's go find everyone else," Hermione suggested. Draco nodded but didn't move – instead he lifted his hand and put a stasis charm on the bodies laid out before performing combination banishing and transportation spells to deliver them to their homes, timed to arrive after the patronus he sent to both of their fathers.

He clenched Hermione's hand in his tightly before turning away from his friends and leading her from the cellar.

"Where did everyone go?" she asked rhetorically, looking around and seeing no one.

As if to answer their question their marks burned and the entrance hall to the Manor flashed across their eyes momentarily.

Hermione squared off in front of him, supporting him by the shoulders. "We have to stay strong and do what we need to do, Draco."

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	21. Chapter 21

**A/N- I just want to thank everyone for reviewing this story! I haven't gotten more than like 35 reviews ever before so this is pretty much just mind blowing to me! Also to everyone who has favourited and followed as well, it's so wonderful!**

 **Also thank you to my beta Nina and to KomeKozzy425 for continuing to push me with this story even though I sometimes get really stuck (like right now), thank you. I have up to chapter 29 written and then it's winding down and I think that's why I'm having a little trouble... I just don't want it to end!**

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 **Chapter Twenty**

Draco watched closely and waited for the opportunity to present itself. They'd acquiesced to the wishes of his parents and Tom, agreeing to spend a day or two at the manor for the grieving period before heading back to Hogwarts to continue their alone time.

Both Greg and Vince's fathers had held private ceremonies on their own properties for their children. Draco and Hermione had attended both, one after the other, the day after they were found. It was one of the hardest things Draco had ever had to do in his entire life and he was grateful he had someone to stand by him during it all.

Draco was sitting in the dining room alone at the table, thinking about what he and his wife needed to accomplish over the next few days – or weeks. Nothing could be done until they were able to locate the fucking horcruxes their monstrous master had collected months ago and moved somewhere else for safe keeping. He knew they needed to be quick about it because if Tom had the opportunity to kill Harry Potter he'd do it and according to the prophecy, well, according to his wife, Harry would be the only one able to kill Tom.

Draco wasn't buying it.

If the Horcruxes were destroyed anyone would be able to do the honours, in his opinion, but he still wasn't going to risk being unprepared when the time presented itself.

Hermione sauntered into the room a little later and shot him a quick smile. He stood from his chair as she approached and helped her to settle down beside him before he took his own seat again.

"Tom's gone," Hermione said casually. "He has business in Germany over the next few days and guess what?"

"What?"

"He didn't take your father with him." Hermione was grinning up at him, looking happier than he'd seen her since they found their friends in the cellar five days before.

He felt his love for her almost overwhelm him in that moment, and the thoughts he'd been having recently - his friends' death on top of everything they'd gone through - caused him to do something he hadn't done since he was a very small child. He cried. It wasn't the snotty, soggy sort of cry, but Hermione was alarmed all the same.

She watched his lips press together tightly into a thin line before his eyes welled up and two tears slipped from his silver eyes, sliding down his cheeks as more came to follow. His eyelashes were damp and clumping together as he sniffled and Hermione reached up gently to wipe his tears away.

"Everything's going to be fine, Draco," she said, saying the words he'd said to her repeatedly.

He'd caught her bawling in the shower twice and once in the library behind a few shelves. She'd gone there to collect all the books she could find about blood wards but was unable to take them from the library because a house elf was watching her too closely. Apparently she'd been overwhelmed by feeling like a failure and the fact that she and Draco hadn't figured everything out in time to save Greg and Vince; she couldn't help herself and broke down behind the stacks.

"I know it's a lot to handle right now but I swear everything is going to work out. We just need to stay strong," she whispered, rising from her chair and squeezing onto Draco's. She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face into the crease between her neck and shoulder as his hands wrapped around her small waist. "I love you," she whispered into his ear. "I love you so much and we're going to get through this."

She felt Draco inhale deeply against her collarbone, calmed by her familiar scent of almond and vanilla, and then let out a shaky chuckle. "I love you, too, and I know you're right. I was just looking at you and you were so happy in that moment and…I don't even know what happened."

"Don't be embarrassed," Hermione said cheerfully, leaning back and wiping his tears away for the final time – they'd stopped leaking out of his eyes moments before. She leaned in and pressed her lips to her husband's gently but determinedly, and he'd just opened his mouth when they heard a throat clear in the doorway.

Hermione squeaked and jumped away from him immediately and if she wasn't squeezed so tightly onto his chair with him she would have fallen to the floor.

"The dining room is probably not the best place for that," Lucius said, entering.

"I'm sorry!" Hermione yelped, jumping from Draco's lap and taking her own seat once again.

Lucius' eyes roamed over his son and it was very clear the young man was upset. Lucius could see that his cheeks were shimmering in the light slightly, like they had been wet previously, and his eyelashes were clumped together. He chose not to comment as he and his wife took their seats at the table.

"Tom won't be joining us tonight," Lucius said unnecessarily as he snapped his fingers for the elves to start bringing food out for their meal. Hermione and Draco had managed to take all of their meals in their own suite up until that point and they'd used the food Draco had purchased in Hogsmeade while vanishing food on the plates so no one would be the wiser. They exchanged a look now as their plates were laid out in front of them and Draco decided if he kept his parents talking they wouldn't realize the younger couple was avoiding their food.

"It'll be nice to have a family dinner, for once," Narcissa stated, and Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "I feel like we're never alone anymore."

"We aren't," Draco said seriously. "Hermione and I have decided to head back to Hogwarts tomorrow morning, though, and I'm not sure how long we'll be gone for."

"Oh," Narcissa said, sounding disappointed. "I was enjoying you being here, at home."

"I know, mum, but we need some alone time."

"It wouldn't hurt to have them at the castle anyway," Lucius threw in. "Lots of important things to guard there, for the time being."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked curiously, shuffling her food around on her plate.

"Remember those random objects we had to go find all those months ago? Horcuxes? We got them all and brought them to the manor for safekeeping but once we'd taken over the castle Tom thought it would be better to take them there. The day you two showed up to ward the grounds we'd moved them all into the forest."

"The forest?" Hermione asked, confused. "Why would you choose to put them in the forest?"

"There're so many magical creatures in there, some completely terrifying, by the way, and Tom figured they'd keep people out."

"That's good thinking. Did you see the Acromantula?" Hermione asked curiously, hoping Lucius would continue talking. It was better that he'd brought it up because Hermione was having a tough time figuring out how to bring up the horcruxes without looking completely suspicious.

"Not when we were there this time but Tom was telling me where their cave was. We went in the opposite direction. I was just glad we managed to stay away from any centaurs."

"So what? He just buried pieces of his soul in the ground?" Draco asked, confused as to why Tom was seeming so careless with something so important.

"No, he placed them in an eerie cave in the middle of nowhere, I don't know, it was just a little unnerving."

Hermione figured that cave itself was fine but Lucius was feeling the negative effects of the horcruxes they were hiding. She had spent her day buried in books and researching the dark objects she and her husband were searching out. If they were actually in Hogwarts it would be the best case scenario because of the events that had occurred during their second year – events including a rather large basilisk and its poisonous fangs.

"How are you enjoying married life?" Narcissa asked, taking a rather long drink from her goblet.

"It's good," Hermione said somewhat shyly, but a look passed between her and her husband that had Narcissa smiling softly.

"What's it like being bonded?" Lucius asked, casually.

Hermione hesitated for a moment and could tell that Draco was thinking quickly. They didn't want to say too much because they didn't want to draw attention to the fact that not only had their power increased but they'd also managed to override the vow they took to their master and the adverse effects of that as well.

Hermione figured that because of their vows the poison that should have been seeping through their skin from their Dark Mark's was null and void – it went against their natural instincts to be kept safe and keep each other alive. Hermione didn't completely understand the ins and outs of it all because she'd had other things on her mind – more important things – but she wasn't going to complain about living through her defection.

"It's strange," Draco said finally. "It's weird being able to feel what she's feeling – I had to learn how to separate that from my own feelings, which was a very odd to say the least. I've never felt so… close to someone before… I honestly can't really explain it."

"How did you learn to differentiate the feelings, Draco?" Naricssa asked, and their curiosity was starting to rub Hermione the wrong way. Draco rubbed at his chest before glancing toward her.

"Hermione's feelings are always a deeper ache – always deep in my chest and she is very rarely feeling the same emotion as me. I thought it was weird at first when I'd be happy about something and could feel unease or even an upset emotion – and vice versa – it was so strange. I think I feel deeper now though and I love her more than anything."

"Sometimes I wish we had bonded," Lucius stated seriously.

Hermione wished her parents-in-law had too. At least they'd be free of the evils Tom had used against them if they had.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked, rubbing his chest again before meeting her eyes.

"I'm just tired," she said, pushing her plate away. She hoped it would cover for the fact that she hadn't taken a single bite.

"I'm going to get my wife to bed," Draco told his parents while helping Hermione to stand. "We might not even be here for breakfast so don't be alarmed if we don't show – we really need to get back to Hogwarts so we can ensure the wards are all in place and working properly."

Draco took Hermione's hand and they left the room quickly, the unease his wife was feeling was bubbling in his chest and making him antsy.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I think I'm just paranoid. I feel like everyone is watching us closely or something, I don't know."

"My dad gave us a lot of information about the horcruxes without even realizing what he was doing, so I don't think they were watching us too closely. Their questions about the bonding made me a little nervous but that's only because I was trying to avoid telling them anything sensitive."

They stopped talking until they entered their room, then Draco turned to Hermione suddenly and clasped his hands around her waist, lifting her into the air and swinging her around in a circle. "We know where they are!"

Hermione giggled, his sudden mood change infectious. "I want to go now, but it's pointless. It'll be dark soon."

"There's no fucking way I'm stepping foot into that forest after dark ever again."

"Baby," Hermione teased, and Draco put her back on her feet before pulling her in for a tight hug.

"We're going to finish this."

/

Hermione lay awake most of the night trying to imagine what would happen when they came upon the horcruxes. She'd done enough research to understand that they were incredibly dark objects that wouldn't go down without a fight. They each held a piece of Tom's soul and Hermione had witnessed enough over the few weeks to come to terms with the fact that he was an incredibly dark, dangerous man.

Draco's breathing was soft and even beside her and she snuggled into him, desperate for his warmth and strength – he was such a strong man, nothing close to the coward she'd pegged him for in their school years. He automatically held her close in his sleep, his arm wrapped around her waist as he let out a contented sigh.

She'd do everything possible to find and destroy Tom Riddle's horcruxes in order to keep the man beside her strong and happy – not to mention Blaise and Theo, who were still under the curse of the Dark Mark and the mild amortentia keeping them malleable to Tom's wants and wishes.

She suddenly remembered that she'd have to make it to the library before they left in the morning – it wouldn't do to have the books about blood wards so easily accessible for Tom or any other Death Eater he'd recruit to research for him when he realized he was being kept out of Hogwarts.

Hermione lay still deep into the night, listening to Draco's breaths until she was lulled into a restless slumber.

/

They woke early and packed their things, taking as much as they could without making it obvious that they probably weren't going to be coming back. Hermione had placed undetectable extension charms on a few small bags and they were jamming everything they could into them.

Hermione had slipped out of the room early in the morning, earlier than anyone else would rise, and gave the library one last visit, a small bag in her pocket that would fit any books she deemed necessary. She took every single book she could find on blood wards, as well as books about horcruxes – didn't need anyone stumbling across that knowledge – and plenty about dark spells. If a person was looking they'd be able to tell that books were missing but Hermione noticed in her long hours in the library that even though plenty of people went there she was really the only one to actually read a book. They all seemed more interested in watching her than actually learning anything useful.

Hermione was just buttoning up her sweater to leave her husband's family home for good when a small elf entered their room, approaching them warily.

"Master and Mistress isn't coming back, is they?" he asked sadly, and Hermione realized that it was Draco's personal elf, Tiptop.

"Why do you ask that, Tiptop?" Draco questioned, lacing up his boots.

"Tiptop is seeing you pack," the elf admitted. "Tiptop doesn't want to be left alone." His long ears were pressed down the side of his head and he looked positively pathetic, his bulbous nose was running and big fat tears were leaking down his hollowed cheeks. "Tiptop isn't wanting to give his Master the potion," he said. "Tiptop didn't want to be freed or dead, either."

"You shouldn't be speaking about this," Draco said, standing from the chair he was sitting in.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Hermione asked simultaneously, her heartbeat picking up. "You left the journals for me to find?"

"Tiptop didn't want to ruin his Master's life anymore and he is seeing you in the library all the time. The great Dark Master gave Tiptop the journals many sleeps ago, Mistress, and told him to hide them away. He is forgetting that Master Malfoy," he gestured to Draco, "is Tiptop's true Master, though."

Tiptop turned toward Draco and began twisting his pristine pillowcase outfit through his hands. "All Tiptop wanted was for Master to be free."

"Thank you, Tiptop," Draco said in surprise.

"Alls the other elves is too scared to go against it, Master, but Tiptop couldn't do it anymore. You was turned into a different person."

"We appreciate it, Tiptop, we really do," Hermione said kindly, kneeling down so she was on the same level as the elf. "When we finish this everyone will know the hand you had in it."

"Don't listen to anything Tom tells you, Tiptop, and don't tell him anything you know. That's an order."

"Yes, Master."

"Let's go finish this," Draco said, holding his hand out to help Hermione to her feet. She nodded and bestowed the elf with one last smile of gratitude before they apparated away with their bags.

/

"I know you want to deal with the horcruxes but I really need to speak to Neville. Time's running out and I won't be able to forgive myself if he joins Tom."

"Do you think we can just send him an owl? We can arrange for a time to meet and he could even come here if we needed him to. I doubt there's anywhere safer for a meeting such as that to be held and I'm sure he won't be wary since he wants to join our side anyway."

"Can I send the letter before we go deal with this? It won't take me long."

"You send the letter, I'll start on breakfast – we need to eat something now because I have a feeling it's going to be a long day."

Hermione summoned a piece of parchment and a quill and began scribbling a letter to her friend, asking politely if he would be able to come to the castle the next day for a quick visit. She'd meet him outside the front entrance gates at two in the afternoon and escort him up to the school. Once she was finished she folded it up and sealed it with a spell, giving her husband a quick smile before apparating to the Owlery. The castle wasn't holding classes anymore and hadn't been for a few years but the Owlery was still packed full of barn owls – probably because it was a decent place to live.

"We need to enter the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione said as soon as they'd eaten the breakfast Draco had made.

"What?! Why?"

"There's a basilisk's corpse down there and we need the fangs. Basilisk venom is one of the few things that can destroy a horcrux."

"What are the other things?"

"Fiendfyre."

"Oh. I guess basilisk venom, it is, then. I don't feel confident using Fiendfyre."

"Neither do I," Hermione said. "So the Chamber it is. The entrance is in the bathroom that used to be haunted by Moaning Myrtle and the opening is in the sinks. Let's go."

Once they entered the bathroom Hermione and Draco started to inspect the sinks until Draco came across one that had a snake carved into it.

"What do I do?"

"Just tell it to open, I guess."

"It's kind of ironic that Tom taught us parseltongue," Draco pointed out as he looked at the snake and hissed out the commanding word that would open the Chamber.

The sinks started rattling and slid out of sight, revealing a large pipe that they could easily slide down. Draco turned toward a bathroom stall and pointed his wand at it, conjuring a rope ladder that attached itself to the crossbeam of the stalls and was probably fifty feet long. He picked up the ladder and threw the rest down the pipe, not wanting to be trapped under the school if there was no other way to get back into the bathroom.

"I'm going first," Draco said, stepping forward and draping his legs into the pipe. He pushed away from the wall and slid away quickly, Hermione following him hastily while trying their best to avoid getting caught up in the ladder.

"It stinks down here," she stated, wrinkling her nose as soon as they were at the bottom of the long ride. Draco ignored her and took her hand, casting a wandless lumos and leading her down through a wall of fallen rocks and then a lot of twisty passageways.

After what felt like forever they turned a corner and Hermione shuddered at the sight before them. The corpse of the snake was extremely rotted and since half of it had been left in a large pool of water it was all bone. Hermione averted her eyes from the water when she saw that it was a strange colour and the putrid smell alone was enough to make her gag.

"Fuck, let's hurry up and get the hell out of here."

Draco nodded and pointed his wand at his face, casting a modified bubble-head charm so that it only covered his nose. He repeated the same actions on Hermione and she smiled gratefully when she was able to breathe without gagging.

They rushed forward and Hermione immediately severed the snakes' fangs using wandless, non-verbal magic. She didn't want her or Draco to actually have to touch them, because with their luck they'd poison themselves. She hovered the fangs to an empty bag in her hand and dropped them in, pulling the drawstrings on the top of the bag tightly and tying them off.

"Great! Let's go," Draco said, not interested in wasting any time in the disgusting chamber.

"I want to try something," Hermione said once they got back to the pipe that would lead them back to the school. She looked at the bottom rungs of the rope ladder and then turned to Draco. "If our magic is that advanced I'm wondering if I can levitate myself."

"No one can fly without a broomstick, Hermione," Draco said, almost condescendingly.

She smiled at him before closing her eyes and focusing all of her energy inward. Draco gasped when her feet left the floor and hastened to try and levitate himself as well. He opened his eyes after a few moments and was shocked, and thrilled, to see that they were, in fact, raising themselves through the pipe.

"This is amazing!" he yelled, finding it easier to do every second.

They were at the top of the pipe and back in the bathroom within five minutes, Draco grinning like a mad man.

"I really think he underestimated how strong he's made us."

"Hermione," Draco said suddenly. "You need to alter the wards to keep him out. We don't need him stumbling upon us while we do what we need to do."

"We can't just keep him out completely, Draco! If he tried to come here and was unable to get in he would be alerted that something's going on and we don't have any sort of backing at this point. That would be suicide."

"We can't just have him traipsing in here and seeing everything that we're doing. _That_ would be suicide. Having him kept out of the castle could be explained by saying you didn't understand the complexity of the wards."

"He's not an idiot, Draco. He's evil and completely psychotic, but he's not stupid. If he tried to get in here and was kept out he'd immediately think the worst – which in this case would also be true – and he'd come after us. We can't risk that!"

"We also can't risk having him realize what we're doing," Draco snarled, getting annoyed and angry with Hermione's stubbornness.

Hermione's face was reddening and she turned away, calming herself down. It wouldn't do for the two of them to get into one of their stupid arguments when there were so many important things to do.

"What if I just alter the wards to keep him out of certain areas of the castle? He has no reason to be going into our room at any point, anyway"

"Well we can tell him that our room is for us personally, maybe hint to bedroom things if we need to, and no one other than us has any reason to go in there."

"I doubt he'll stop by anyway but I do understand your concern for caution and privacy."

"Okay," Draco said, deciding to drop it and let Hermione do what she needed to do. She did have a point, after all. Hermione closed her eyes and focused on resetting the wards in order to keep Tom from entering their personal space.

"Do you think we're getting stronger as the days go by?" Draco asked curiously as they walked through the halls. "You were able to change the wards from the second floor bathroom without even a second thought."

"I'm not sure if I would have been able to do that a week ago," she admitted. "I don't think they're getting stronger, though. I think we're just learning how to use them better."

"That makes sense," he agreed as they stepped from the school and headed toward the hut Hagrid had lived in when the school was still open, Hermione clutching the bag of fangs in her hand tightly.

"We need to be quiet," Draco said nervously as they stepped into the Forbidden Forest.

"I've been thinking, Draco, and I don't think it's going to be all that hard for us to walk through here."

"Why not?! It's full of insane monsters! Never mind the centaurs, who couldn't give a fuck about anything we're trying to do."

"Yes, but we own this property now. Okay, as far as I can remember from Harry and Ron's stories the Acromantula caves are that way." Hermione was pointing to their right. "Deep in the forest, of course, but that way all the same. That means the cave where they've hidden the horcruxes are this way, according to your dad," she said, leading them in the opposite direction.

As Hermione predicted they didn't come across any animals or monsters of any kind. Draco could hear rustling in the trees every so often, which really made him uncomfortable, but nothing showed themselves.

"Do you think we're close?" he asked, feeling like they were wandering aimlessly.

"I have no idea," Hermione answered seconds before a large body stepped onto the path in front of them.

It was a centaur with a smooth, glossy chestnut body that connected to a nicely tamed tail. His human torso was rippling with muscles and his arms were alarmingly large and bulky.

"Who goes there?" he asked, his voice deep and oily.

"Hermione and Draco Malfoy," his wife answered immediately. It was weird hearing her refer to herself as a 'Malfoy'. She was, of course, but she'd never said it aloud before and neither had he.

"Malfoy," the centaur said, and he looked to be thinking hard. "You're the owners of the castle, now?"

"That's right," Hermione stated calmly. "The entire grounds and castle now belong to us and we're more than willing to turn a blind eye to whatever it is you centaurs do in here. We aren't looking to try and make any of you leave, so don't fear that."

The centaur seemed more than surprised. His eyes widened almost comically and he nodded his head once as more centaurs emerged from the bushes around them, Draco imperceptibly shifted closer to his wife.

"There was another Malfoy in here over a week ago. He looked a lot like you," a black bodied centaur said, gesturing to Draco.

His father, of course.

"He was accompanying the Dark Lord and they had some truly disturbing objects with them."

"Do you know where they took them?" Hermione asked, and it was clear to them both that the centaurs were not sympathetic to Tom's cause.

"We want to destroy them," Draco added, gesturing to the bag in Hermione's hands.

"You, faithful Death Eaters, want to destroy the pieces of soul that your lord has hidden in our forest?"

"Maybe we aren't totally faithful," Draco said nervously, unconsciously rubbing his left arm.

"You," the chestnut centaur said, turning to Hermione. "We saw your story in the stars many years ago. You can end this foolhardy war."

"I intend to," Hermione said, a small smile on her face. Her heart was beating frantically but she figured they weren't exactly on the centaurs' bad side, which could only mean good things for them.

"The horcruxes have been stored in a cave that we used to use to obtain our drinking water."

"Used to?" Draco asked.

"We don't go there anymore, not now that it's been tainted by the Dark magic within it."

"Can you lead us there?" Hermione asked hopefully. "This is the only business we have in the forest and after we destroy the horcruxes we'll leave you with the property."

"Take them, Magorian," another centaur cut in. He looked elderly; his dappled flanks were greying and no longer glossy, and his human aspect wasn't as fit and defined as all of the other centaurs around them. Hermione figured he was the leader of the herd.

"This way," the chestnut bodied centaur named Magorian said and turned quickly. Hermione couldn't believe their luck – they were being led straight to the objects they wished to destroy by a pack of centaurs who would most likely have killed anyone else who stepped into their part of the forest. Hermione was thanking Tom for his mistakes again and again – there was so much the man just did not understand – but so far, at least, it was in Hermione and Draco's favour, so she wasn't complaining.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N- Thank you to my beta Nina for all your amazing work! Also to Komekozzy425 because I still message her constantly about things related to this story and all of you amazing folks out there who are reviewing/following/favouriting! You all rock.**

 **Can anybody say Horcruxes?!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Twenty One**

"In there," the centaur told them stiffly before turning and walking away. They'd walked for at least two hours and Hermione silently thanked Draco for making her work out so hard because she wasn't sure if her legs would have been able to handle the rough terrain if she wasn't in top shape. The terrain they'd crossed was strange – it started out as a small trail that took them through the heavily treed area, but it quickly changed and they were crossing rivers, climbing hills and wading through waist deep grass. There was no trail to follow this far in and it was obvious to both Hermione and Draco that not many humans had been this deep inside the forest before.

Hermione didn't even know it stretched this far back, but she was confident her blood wards were still covering it – she could feel them.

She turned and watched Magorian walk away, his chestnut body glistening in the morning light as his tail swished from side to side.

"A man of many words," Draco said sarcastically once Magorian was out of and earshot. Those were the only words he'd said to them for the entire walk.

"He didn't seem overly thrilled to be the one who had to guide us here, but can you blame him? Wizards and witches have never treated centaurs fairly. That's why we're keeping our word and letting them run the forest themselves."

"I wasn't planning on going back on it," Draco pointed out.

"I know. I just wanted to make it clear now – they're helping us because we promised them the forest and that we'd stay away as much as we can."

"Like I want to enter this hell hole more often than I need to," Draco drawled. Hermione knew he hated the place. She could remember when they were in their first year and had to serve a detention in the forest – he was utterly terrified the entire time, but at that time she had relished in it.

Hermione took a deep breath and pushed those thought aside, wanting to focus on the task at hand. "Are you ready for this? You need to know that during my research I found out that the horcruxes are going to try and fight us. I don't know what that means, exactly, but we need to be prepared. This is some seriously dark magic and we can't underestimate it."

Draco nodded but didn't move at all. Instead he shrugged off his cloak. Hermione watched in confusion as her husband took off the shirt he'd been wearing underneath, his ridiculous muscles rippling deliciously in the morning light, but her confusion turned to understanding as he wandlessly transfigured his shirt into gloves for the both of them. He looked at her and grinned when he realized she was staring at his stomach almost longingly, but he pulled his cloak back on and held a pair of gloves out toward her.

"Put these on so we can handle the basilisk fangs with our hands. I have a feeling we're going to need to arm ourselves properly."

Hermione pulled on the gloves before reaching into the bag that contained the fangs. She grasped one gingerly, pulling it from the bag and handing it to Draco – the tension in the air increased tenfold when his hand closed around it.

"Let's do this," he said, his voice full of conviction.

"Just be prepared to stab the fucking things," Hermione replied tightly before they entered the cave.

It was huge. Hermione could instantly see why the centaurs had used it for their drinking water because there was a pristine river flowing through the back end of the cave. Where it started and ended Hermione had no idea, but she had to stop and admire the beautiful waterfall flowing from the far end, feeding the water through the area. It smelled crisp and clear, like an early morning in the countryside with an underlying scent of pine – she breathed in deeply and closed her eyes for a moment.

It was a serene place. Too bad it had a hint of dark magic radiating and pulsating through the air. The feeling made Hermione's skin prick nervously with every thump.

They stopped a few dozen feet inside the large cave and looked around, wondering where exactly the horcruxes were being kept. Hermione watched as Draco closed his eyes for a moment, his head turning slowly as he tried to pinpoint exactly where the pulsing dark magic was coming from.

His eyes snapped open and Draco started walking quickly to their left, gesturing toward a small divot in the wall that was about chest height.

"They're in here," he said, and Hermione approached the area warily.

Draco removed his wand and lit it, exposing the glittering horcruxes inside. No matter what the objects were, Draco was pretty sure they shouldn't have been allowed to glitter and look pretty – it was terribly misleading, although; that was probably the point.

Hermione wasn't sure what would happen if she touched one but before she could talk herself out of it she reached in and pulled out a necklace, the chain dangling off one of her fingers.

Draco raised his eyebrow and reached in as well, pulling out a golden cup.

"I didn't expect them to be so nice," Hermione said.

"This has the Hufflepuff seal on it," Draco said, gesturing the emblazoned letter 'H' on the side of the cup. Hermione inspected the locket in her hand and realized it had a very elaborate 'S' on the front.

"Is this Slytherin's?" she asked, completely surprised. Tom had used things that had belonged to the founders of Hogwarts?

"I wore that 'S' on my robes for seven years," he replied, nodding.

Hermione stared at the locket hooked around her finger, it was swinging like a pendulum and she was fascinated but also horrified by the object. It was an ancient artifact, but Tom had felt the need to completely disregard that fact and deface it with a piece of his murderous soul.

She took a steadying breath before walking away to a boulder and laying the locket out on it, trying to decide what would be the best way to proceed. She knew she'd have to open it somehow, since it was a locket, but it took her a second to figure out how to do that – she'd picked it up and tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. Then it clicked in her head – the locket had belonged to Salazar Slytherin and Tom Riddle was the one who'd put his soul inside it.

Parseltongue.

She hissed out the sounds for the word 'Open' and the locket clicked apart almost immediately. What bloomed from within, from where there should have been pictures, had her heart beating rapidly in her chest and her mouth going dry.

Draco's face appeared before her. He looked much more handsome than she'd ever seen him in real life, which was saying something since he was the most attractive man she'd ever laid eyes on. He was also, simultaneously, the scariest version she'd ever seen – he was big and imposing, when he spoke his voice was incredibly loud but also smooth and deeper than his real voice. He was wearing the hateful look that she'd grown accustomed to while they were still going to school – his lip was curled into a sneer and his eyes looked like chips of ice.

"You thought I loved you?" He questioned, his voice silky and deep. His eyes were narrowed into small slits and he couldn't look more disgusted at the thought. "You thought I cared?" The face broke out into a condescending laugh, making the hairs on Hermione's arms and neck stand on end as a small whimper tore from her chest. "You're nothing but a piece of trash, mudblood, and as soon as this is all over I'll do everything in my power to get rid of you. You're nothing to me but a fantastic lay. I'd obviously never stoop so low as to actually fall in love with a filthy mudblood and I've got so many pureblood witches lined up on the side that I'll never have to sleep with you again."

"Don't listen to that!" Draco screamed from behind her, his voice panicked and disgusted by what was happening. The horcrux was trying to fuck with her mind!

"The only reason I was with you was because Tom suggested it and I was under the influence of potions. As if you think I could actually love you." The floating head laughed again and Hermione felt deflated. "You think I'd reproduce with you?! No. I'll have a pureblood child and carry on my family name with dignity. I won't sully the entire name of Malfoy for garbage like you! Could you imagine? Every male in the line would be rolling in their graves."

Hermione whimpered again and felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't help but to look into the handsome face in front of her as he verbally lashed her. He was right about everything.

"Stab it, Hermione!" Draco yelled. "You have to destroy it yourself now! There's nothing I can do."

"My family's okay with the thought of you right now because of the power Tom Riddle gave you, but the moment that power is stripped, and trust me, we'll figure out a way to do that, you'll be nothing. My parents will find a way to sever the bond and destroy you for even thinking you'd live up to my family name – that you'd fit in."

The fantasy-like Draco laughed again but it wasn't so much condescending now as just hard and bitter.

"Hermione," Draco yelled again. "Stab it!"

"I don't feel bad about what Ron Weasley did to you, you know. I think you probably deserved it – you probably flaunted your body at him at every opportunity and begged for it to happen. You probably…"

Hermione suddenly rushed forward and slammed the fang in her hand into the locket harshly, breaking through the glass of one side as the fang released the venom inside – she didn't want the horcrux version of Draco to finish that sentence. She didn't want any form of Draco ever doubting her about that particular memory.

Draco had a sneaking suspicion that she'd stabbed him out of anger and hate and not because he'd been a piece of dark magic specifically aimed at hurting her.

"Noooooo!" his duplicate screamed painfully before he disappeared in a whorl of smoke and flashing light.

"You know that isn't true!" the real Draco exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling her into his arms. "We've been off the potions for long enough that it's completely out of our systems and I love you even more, now! I know you know I don't feel that way about the whole Weasel situation! I'd never doubt you about that and plus, I healed you – I remember everything you'd went through."

"I know, I know," she said, shaking slightly. "It just hurt to have everything I've been thinking said to me. Then when he started talking about Ron I just… snapped. What a fucking bastard, Tom is."

Hermione looked at the locket and was surprised to see that it had leaked a substance out that looked slightly like blood. "At least we know what to expect now," she said, trying to steady her voice.

"Let's just get this over with," Draco said abruptly, brushing the locket off the boulder carelessly as he placed the cup down in the same spot. He didn't even want to start the process of killing the cup after witnessing what Hermione had gone through, but he knew it needed to be done.

"Maybe if I go quickly enough nothing will happen," Draco said aloud, but mostly speaking to himself. He moved forward quickly with his fang ready to pierce through the cup, focusing on what needed to be done in order to destroy the dark magic within and hoping his idea would work. Hermione nodded encouragingly and Draco was only a few feet in front of the cup when he stopped dead in his tracks, closed his eyes, and tilted his head to the side as though he was listening to something that he could barely hear.

"You think she loves you?" He heard quietly in his ear. "She's with you for status, Draco. Status and money and the only reason she agreed to marry you was so that she could be more powerful. She doesn't give one fuck about you, just like she didn't when you went to school."

"Stop it," Draco said out loud, and Hermione's eyebrows drew together.

"She hated you in school and she hates you now, she's just hiding it so she has access to your family vaults. She flaunts that ring on her finger with every opportunity she gets, making sure she flashes it in people's faces so they know exactly who she is – what her last name is. She doesn't love you – she doesn't even care about you – the only reason she's around is because when Tom told her to marry you, she realized the riches and prestige she'd receive. She's just like all the other trashy whores out there."

"No, she isn't!" Draco exclaimed, and Hermione could see that he was in some sort of strange trance. His eyes were still closed and he was clearly listening to someone that she couldn't hear. His eyes were rolling around beneath the closed lids and he was rather pale – his skin almost glowing in the dark cave. His tongue snaked out to wet his lips nervously as he listened to whatever it was the voice was telling him.

"She's in it for the power, Draco, and nothing more. She's a dirty, money-loving, MUDBLOOD!"

"STOP IT!" He screamed, wrenching his eyes open and lunging at the cup. He slammed his fang into it ruthlessly over and over again, piercing through the gold with the sharp, venomous fang. "Fuck you!" he yelled angrily, completely out of control and Hermione had to rush forward and put her hand on his arm just to stop his violent thrusts toward the cup. It broke apart as an anguished scream ripped through the air.

"Fucking thing," Draco raged, picking up the pieces and whipping them across the cave. They hit the far wall with a clang and dropped to the floor, smashing and crashing the entire way down. "Fuck you," Draco breathed in its direction, fury tightening his eyes.

"Three more," Hermione said shakily because she had no idea what else to say. Whatever he'd heard had obviously unhinged him but since she didn't hear it she couldn't offer him any sort of support other than resting her hand on his arm as they walked to the hole in the wall to each grab another horcrux. Neither of them were looking forward to what was about to come.

They each reached into the divot again and Hermione's hand came out clenched around a tarnished tiara. "Ravenclaw," she said, gesturing at the 'R' on the inside. Draco was holding, to Hermione's utter shock, the sword of Gryffindor. Had Dumbledore known that it was a horcrux, used it for what they needed it for and then put it back so Tom would be none the wiser?

"I'll go," she said, moving toward the rock and bracing herself for what she was about to go through.

Nothing happened immediately, but as she stepped closer, the fang gripped in her gloved hand and ready to strike, she heard it. A strange whispery voice was filling her head.

"Oh, poor, naïve Hermione," it said. "You believed Tom when he said the Order had killed your parents, but it wasn't them – it was Draco."

"That's a lie," Hermione said boldly, and she knew it was. She was with Draco every day and there's no way he would have been able to make the trip to Australia and back without her noticing.

"It's not a lie, Hermione. He has a friend in Australia and was able to floo there, murder your parents and floo home before you'd even woken up for the day."

"He didn't" she replied.

"He murdered them ruthlessly, Hermione. He killed your father first – incapacitated him so he wouldn't be there to protect your mum. Once that happened he attacked her, Hermione – he raped her savagely for almost the entire night before he finished her off and went back to you."

"It's a lie!" she yelled, and she broke from her trance much quicker than Draco had and stabbed the diadem in one go. A thick, tar like substance poured from the area she'd hit it and a small, shuddering scream escaped.

"Brutal," she said. "He's a brutal man and these are absolutely awful to deal with."

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, stepping forward and resting his hand on the small of her back for a moment. Hermione nodded after a few moments and Draco leaned down to kiss her on the head. "We're almost done," he reassured.

Draco stepped forward with the sword and laid it on the rock before stabbing it with the fang. Nothing happened. No taunting voice and no scream escaped it.

"Is this not a horcrux?"

"I don't know why he'd have it here if it wasn't," Hermione said confusedly, moving closer. No voice issued from the sword at all, not even when she lifted her fang threateningly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and Draco looked at her quickly.

"If it was a horcrux, which I'm sure it was or it wouldn't be here, it's already been destroyed. Harry Potter used this sword to kill the basilisk we stole these fangs from in our second year! I bet it had already been in contact with the venom and was destroyed without his knowledge!"

"Smart, Hermione," Draco said, smiling at her brilliance.

"Well, that only leaves one then," she said, casting an uncomfortable look toward the hole in the wall.

"I'll do it," Draco said confidently. He strode forward and pulled the last horcrux from the wall – it was so small Hermione couldn't even see what it was her husband held in his hand.

"What is it?" she asked, striding forward.

"It's a pin that has the Dumbledore family crest on it," Draco said, completely surprised. "He must have stolen it from the old man when he was still a student at Hogwarts."

"Tom did that just to insult him," Hermione said. "Could you imagine how offended Dumbledore would be if he knew?"

Draco cracked a smile while imagining the look on his old Headmaster's face, but then he turned away and walked back over to the boulder to lay the small pin on it, poised to strike. He felt confident because he really didn't think it could get much worse than the things they'd already gone through with the previous horcruxes.

Hermione moved closer, morbidly curious to see what was going to happen with this one. She didn't want to know, but at the same time she couldn't help herself – she was drawn to the entire situation. What Hermione wasn't expecting was for Draco to turn on her suddenly and lunge, taking her down onto the stone floor of the cave and pinning her there with his body as his hand raised the fang in the air above her head.

He was going to stab her!

"Draco!" she screamed, throwing her hands and arms between them, planting them firmly on his chest and trying to push him away. Her training over the previous months didn't prepare her for a frontal attack from her now husband, someone she trusted beyond all measure and never expected to attack her. Rage and fury filled his entire being – she could feel it deep within her own chest – and he was thrashing forward, aiming for the kill. The extra fifty pounds of muscle he carried over her was now pushing roughly against her chest and abdomen, crushing her ruthlessly into the floor. Hermione was screaming in protest to the random assault, fighting against him but the fear was coiled in her chest – this reminded her all too much about what had happened to her months ago and it scared her shitless. "Draco, stop!"

She was thrashing against him, flailing around to try and scurry out from underneath him before he could do some real damage, and with one final desperate heave she hit his arm – the arm that was descending on her in one swift motion, ready to kill with the venomous fang clutched in his hand.

"Stop, Draco! Please!" she screamed, and connected with the poison-wielding appendage, causing Draco's grasp to waver. She watched in slow motion as the glistening, venomous tooth went flying – propelled across the cavern from her hit and landing a dozen feet away. It was out of his reach for the moment and Hermione sighed in momentary relief – happy to know she wouldn't be poisoned and die a slow, painful death. She needed to get her husband to come to his senses before anything dire happened.

He turned his fury filled gaze to her after watching the fang flip through the air and stared deep into her soul. She could feel the hate and rage pouring through his body and assaulting all of her senses.

"I will kill you, you fucking bastard!" He screamed in her face before sitting back slightly.

And then it hit her. She could feel her very bones tearing away from her tendons and muscle, her nerves on fire as the strength of his Cruciatus Curse ripped through her body. She thought she might have been screaming but she wasn't positive because nothing made sense anymore – the only thing that she knew for sure was that she was going to die at the hands of her husband on the dirty floor of the cavern that had housed horcruxes.

Draco watched in delight as the red-headed fuck who'd raped and beaten his wife writhed in pain on the floor, blood spurting from Weasley's nose and ears as he forced the hateful power out of his hands toward the despicable man.

"Die, you motherfucker!" he screamed, completely out of control. He'd wanted to do this for such a long time, ever since he'd found Hermione in the forest, and he wasn't going to make it easy on the man and just kill him outright. It was really rather good that Weasley had managed to knock the fang from his grip – that death would have been too dignified for the fucker.

"Draco!" he screamed, his rather girly voice finally breaking through the rage haze that had clouded Draco's entire being. The blond stopped moving for a moment, wondering why the fuck the Weasel was using his given name – something he'd never done before and certainly wouldn't be doing now. That was wrong, totally and completely wrong, and Draco's body jerked away from the red head as he tried to make sense of the word.

Draco blinked, and then blinked again. His vision slowly clearing as the noise in the cave went roaring back into his senses – the screams, the pleading – _the voice_. When his vision had finally cleared completely and he saw his wife on the floor, writhing and bleeding because of a spell he'd been holding on her he literally wanted to _fucking die_. How his wedding vows had allowed this to happen was beyond his understanding, but that was just a brief thought in his brain as he ended the curse. Her painful whimpers and pleas stopped but they were taken over by heart wrenching sobs that echoed loudly around the cave and in his ears immediately. Every single sob broke his heart a little bit more.

Draco wanted to rush to her but he knew if he didn't destroy the horcrux it would only torment them both more, so he turned to the small pin on the boulder and then looked around for the fang he'd had in his hand when he'd first attacked Weasley – no, _his wife_ – but wasn't able to see it anywhere. His frantic eyes fell on the sword of Gryffindor and he snatched it up into shaking hands and staggered toward the boulder. He whipped the sword up and behind his head before smashing the blade down on the pin, hard. There was a loud clanging noise as the sword sliced the pin clean in two and a dark mist burst out of it, screaming in pain and agony as it dissipated into the air.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed after flinging the weapon aside. He turned on his heel and rushed toward his bleeding wife. "Oh, Merlin, I am so sorry. So fucking sorry." He was waving his hand over her face, cleaning the blood from where her nose and ears leaked the crimson fluid as she continued to sob. Once she was cleaned up he gathered her in his shaking arms, shushing her as she bawled her eyes out and he released a few tears of his own. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were the Weasel and… Oh, my God."

Hermione's cries quieted down after a few minutes and she could feel Draco's tears falling into her hair, wetting her scalp – it was really hurting him to know that he had attacked her so ruthlessly. She could only imagine the shock he'd received when the crazy fog finally lifted and he saw her writhing beneath his hands and not Ron Weasley.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled again, his voice thick, and Hermione noticed that she was in his lap and wrapped in his arms while he rocked her slightly. His hands were rubbing her back, her arms, her head – anywhere he could reach as he tried to dole out comfort.

"It's okay," she choked out, and felt Draco shake his head frantically.

"It's not okay," he said. "I attacked you!"

"A horcrux made you think I was someone else," she pointed out fairly, her voice raw and ragged; she blinked in quick succession, trying to stay awake when her aching, torn up body really wanted her to fall into a peaceful slumber. She knew he'd never hurt her intentionally and she wouldn't feel good about holding this situation against him – he had no control over what had occurred. "Someone who does actually deserve that treatment."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his face still buried in her hair. He'd never be able to forget what had just happened. The fact that he'd attacked his wife brutally would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"It's okay," she said again, but this time her words made no sense whatsoever and Draco pulled away from her quickly to search her face. He could see how tired she was and was surprised that she hadn't fainted yet as the guilt plucked at his chest – he did this to her. Fuck, what a husband he was. Draco tightened his hold on her and stood up slowly and carefully so he didn't jar her too badly. He clutched her small body to his chest before apparating them back into their room at Hogwarts now that their business in the cave was concluded.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N- Thank you to my beta Nina for all your hard work! And to all the people who have favourited/followed/reviewed! You all rock. I'll answer reviews and things later because I'm going truck shopping right now and my husband is waiting for me very impatiently!**

 **Please review! (I think we'll hit 100 on this chapter and that just blows my mind!)**

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

 _Hermione was running down a long hallway, dodging spells and pushing by people, following a shock of red hair that disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway. She put more speed in her legs even though her feet were weighed down by the heavy boots she was wearing and entered the same door she'd watched the red head disappear through._

 _She groaned internally when she saw that it was George Weasley in front of her and not Ron._

 _"_ _Hello, George," she said, her face twisting into a seriously eerie look._

 _"_ _Hermione," the red-head said, nodding toward her and acting as though they were old friends meeting for tea. "I'm surprised at you – completely shocked that you've joined Voldemort and his men. It was what Harry was afraid of, you know? He was worried you'd get your mind twisted by the Dark Lord like so many others. We've lost so many good people to his side, and once they join him they're never the same again. He does something to them, you know?"_

 _"_ _Oh really?!" she all but shouted, angry right off the hop. "I was going to say the same thing. Torturing and raping poor Daphne Greengrass for weeks," she said, seeming to only pick up on the first part of his words and ignoring the rest. "You fucking disgust me! You're just like your goddamned no-good brother!"_

 _"_ _Hermione," George started timidly, his hands out at his sides with his palms open in a placating gesture. "I know what Ron did to you was completely wrong and totally unforgiveable, he broke down one night and admitted it all to me. I just couldn't just turn my back on him. I couldn't… he's my brother. I know you'd felt like you were treated unfairly at the Order but we were doing it to protect you. Voldemort has a way of enticing people and taking them in – he's duping them for sure, somehow. You've got to believe me when I say that I had nothing to do with the Greengrass raid! I did not hurt Daphne Greengrass in any way, shape or form! I don't know what you were told or who told you that I did but it's a complete lie! We thought that your side attacked the Greengrass residence! We were only there by chance – we were staking out homes of Death Eaters and their sympathizers to find you!"_

 _George watched Hermione closely as her head tilted to the side before it quickly tipped back up so she was staring at him straight on. Her eyes were no longer their usual brown and were instead black and glossy looking, like her pupils had dilated so much they'd completely eradicated any of her natural colour._

 _She didn't blink._

 _She started to move forward as though under a trance, her feet floating across the hardwood planks gracefully and she was completely unaffected by the words that he'd just spoken._

 _Deranged. Absolutely fucking deranged._

 _This was exactly the behaviour George had been speaking about. He'd seen other Death Eaters who had defected from the Order during other raids – Justin, Padma, Katie – and they all acted the same way. It was utterly terrifying. Voldemort had to be doing something to them all, he just had to be – nothing else made sense._

 _This pint-sized lunatic stopped after taking a few steps forward and stared at him again before tilting her head in the opposite direction she had just moments before. Should he try and explain things a little bit better?_

 _"_ _Hermione," he started, his voice raspy because of the fear clawing through his chest._

 _"_ _Sectumsempra, motherfucker!" she screamed before letting go a truly horrific laugh._

 _The curse hit him dead on and he flipped through the air a few times, sputtering through the pain and cursing himself because he'd lowered his wand. He crashed to a halt with his back against the wall, propped up and staring at the girl before him – a girl he could never have imagined doing something so horrific to him._

 _She stepped toward him slowly and gracefully again, her eyes still black and her smile still completely deranged. She loomed above him and looked down at his tattered shirt before pulling something from her sleeve._

 _A knife. An extremely sharp looking knife, at that._

 _Hermione leaned forward and sliced at his shirt until it came free and George's hand shot out suddenly, ripping the knife from her unsuspecting grip – he was trying to throw it away when he accidentally cut her arm deeply with her own blade. It was so sharp that it sliced through the material of her shirt without any resistance and she hissed in pain as blood started soaking into her sleeve. He didn't apologize, though, because he was too busy begging her to heal him. To save him._

 _"_ _Please don't do this, Hermione," he pleaded. "Just heal these wounds and we'll pretend none of this happened! I won't tell anyone, but I don't want to die! I don't deserve to die!" George's words were coming out an octave higher than usual because of his fear, and he began crying half way through his small speech. He truly didn't want to die._

 _His words were pointless, though. It seemed as though he was speaking to some sort of zombie or inferius. She ignored his words completely and pressed her hand to his wounds roughly, causing George to breath in a sharply at the impact. She was doing it intentionally to hurt him and was succeeding – the blood rushed out of his wounds more quickly because of the pressure she was putting on him._

 _"_ _Give me my fucking knife," she hissed, her eyes void of any emotion and her voice darker than he'd ever heard it._

 _"_ _No!" George exclaimed and tossed it across the room with the very little strength he had left – he didn't want to use her own knife on her and he didn't want to be the one to kill the girl. No matter what happened in the next few minutes she would always be Hermione Granger to him – the sweet, ridiculously smart girl who believed in fairness and goodness._

 _Hermione just smiled evilly at him, more a leer than a smile, before slowly removing another knife from her sleeve – doing it flamboyantly so he'd see exactly what was going to happen._

 _He hadn't expected her to have another knife, and when she leaned in and began carving words into his chest, blatantly ignoring his screams, his eyes had closed._

 _He didn't want the last thing he'd ever see to be this strange, dark Hermione Granger that Voldemort had made._

/

Hermione jerked awake with a gasp, her body shivering violently even though she was sweating profusely. She looked around with wide eyes and noticed Draco sitting at the side of the bed watching her closely.

"Oh, my God," she said seconds before bursting into tears. She knew that her dream hadn't been a random figment that her mind had made up out of nowhere – no, her dream had been the true memory of what had happened when she'd found George Weasley at Parkinson Manor.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, moving to her side immediately and pulling her to him.

"George Weasley," she gasped out. Draco tensed but as Hermione told him what had occurred in her dream/memory he loosened up considerably.

"Are you sure this wasn't just a dream, love?"

"No," she said, shaking her head frantically and avoiding the soreness of her muscles. "It wasn't, I just know it wasn't. That was what truly happened and I'm remembering now because the stupid potions and poison are completely out of my system. Oh, God, Draco! Tom turned me into a fucking monster!"

Draco had no idea what to do or say to that, so he held his wife close and rubbed her back soothingly until she'd calmed down enough to ask if they'd managed to destroy all the horcruxes. She'd apparently been a bit dazed when he'd 'killed' the last one – not that he could blame her for that by any means.

He could tell she was getting fired up to finish Tom once and for all – they just needed to wait for the man to kill Potter, guessing that Hermione's ideas about that whole situation were correct, anyway.

"It'll all be over soon," Draco whispered. "As soon as Tom makes his move we can make ours."

"I know," Hermione said, nodding vigorously through her trembles. She was weakening quickly again because of the Cruciatus Curse she'd been held under in the cave. Draco didn't have any potions on him, and he honestly wasn't sure if he'd trust them any more than he would the food. She'd have to heal the natural, slower way.

He held her as her breathing evened out and sleep overtook her, her body limp in his arms before he settled her back into the bed and continued watching her closely.

She'd been adamant that her dream wasn't an actual dream and he couldn't help but take her seriously. They had both read the journals and the absolute wealth of information it gave them was sickening and brutal, but he'd had a feeling that once they were completely of sound mind again that they'd begin to remember everything that had actually occurred.

A tapping on the window brought him out of his thoughts and he could see the owl hovering through the glass, its large wings flapping slowly to keep it still. He allowed the bird entrance and took the letter from its leg before it turned and flew away, wondering who would be contacting them so late in the evening.

 _"_ _Draco,_

 _I thought you should hear the news that I've secured the post of Minister for Magic directly from me and not from the newspaper you'll receive tomorrow morning. While it's been confirmed, I don't actually take over the office for another few weeks – there's some bureaucratic red tape to be tidied up before Fudge steps down. Things are falling into place rather nicely for us and we would be delighted if you and your wife would join us for dinner tomorrow evening. I know that you're on your honeymoon, but it would really mean a lot to your mother._

 _Your father,_

 _Lucius Malfoy."_

Draco let out a breath, hoping nothing drastic was done at the Ministry due to his father's actions until after the war was over. Tom would be able to make the man do whatever he wanted While Draco had been on board with that idea just a few weeks ago, everything had changed and he found that he was slightly scared about what could occur.

He stared at the letter in his hands and seriously considered tricking his parents into coming to visit them at Hogwarts and have a justice there to renew their vows with a traditional bonding ceremony. He'd run it by Hermione, but honestly the idea didn't sound too crazy to him. If it helped his family survive then he was all for it.

Sighing, he folded the letter up and joined his wife in bed, hugging her small body close while he waited to fall asleep.

 _Draco watched himself, immediately realizing he was dreaming, walk through a hallway that looked like Hogwarts, his wife at his side smiling happily and clad in her Death Eater robes. His friends were on the opposite side of Hermione including Greg and Vince – they all looked so carefree and happy until Hermione stopped suddenly._

 _"_ _Stop," she said, and the group halted immediately. "Something isn't right."_

 _Draco saw his dream-self turn to her and look at her curiously, flexing his shoulders to see if he could sense whatever it was that she was feeling, but everything felt the same to him._

 _"_ _Good job, Hermione," a voice said from behind them and Draco spun around quickly, his robes whipping around his body from the harsh movement, the rest of the group turning as well. Remus Lupin was standing at the end of the hallway, his eyes shadowed and his face drawn and tired looking. "I know it was you who killed my wife," he said after a moment. "Was it in retribution of your parents? She wasn't a part of that, Hermione, you have to know that – I know she would have told you! Ron lost his mind after you left, well, it might have been before, if I'm being truthful, but Nymphadora had nothing to do with your parents."_

 _"_ _Don't even fucking speak to me about that, Remus, or I'll fucking flay you," Draco's wife burst out, and he watched as he pulled his own lips up in a snarl at the man, his muscles flexing in anger._

 _Lupin looked positively downtrodden. He looked as though he hadn't eaten a decent meal in a few weeks and his usually frayed robes were even worse than usual – they had plenty of holes that he'd half-heartedly tried to patch up himself, by the looks of it. His wand was in his hand, but it almost looked like he'd forgotten about it as he stalked toward Hermione purposely._

 _"_ _Diffindo," Hermione said calmly with a slight brandish of her wand and Draco could tell that she was dismayed when nothing at all happened._

 _"_ _Incendio!" she yelled out, her eyes flashing dangerously, but again, nothing happened._

 _"_ _They've put up magic dampeners!" Theo yelled after trying to cast a spell. The entire group of Death Eaters were suddenly very wary looking, their eyes glowing almost black in the dim hallway._

 _"_ _I put up dampeners to block harmful spells so we could speak like the mature adults we are," the werewolf said, watching the group of youngsters closely and realizing that they were all scared and feeling extremely threatened. "I'm not here to fight with anyone, I just feel like we need to talk about a few things. Hermione, what's happened to you? You've changed so much in the last few months."_

 _No one seemed to hear their former teacher's words and Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and started to pull her in the opposite direction, trying to get away._

 _"_ _We just need to talk!" Remus yelled almost frantically as he rushed forward and stood in front of the group, blocking their attempts to leave the dampened corridor so they could get to an area where they could do some real damage. They pushed past him but he blocked them again, this time aiming his wand at the other end of the hall and erecting some bricks there to close the hallway off._

 _They turned to him in their fury and he backed away, putting some space between himself and the group of youngsters before him._

 _"_ _I'm extremely worried about you, Hermione," Remus said seriously, his eyes pleading. "You aren't acting like yourself at all and I have no idea how this came about but something needs to be done! You need to understand that Voldemort has done something to you, changed you in some way, and if you ever realize the things you've done you'll be disgusted with yourself! My wife didn't deserve to die – she was pregnant, you know. Not far along, but she still carried my child in her womb. She was worried about you, Hermione, searching for you in order to bring you back and somehow get you back to your senses. We love you."_

 _No one was listening to Remus' plea, instead the Death Eater's fingers were slowly inching toward their weapons, ripping the Velcro quietly so they could get them in their hands before Remus noticed their movements. He seemed to have eyes only for Hermione and was watching her closely. She hadn't dropped the snarling look from her face and her eyes were still black and void, like a dark abyss that she'd never be pulled from._

 _Hermione made a show of putting her wand back into her holster as Lupin moved closer to her, still trying to convince her that he had her best interests at heart; he was probably about fifteen feet away when she'd managed to get a few knives into her hands._

 _"_ _One of the great things I've been taught, Remus, is that we can't always rely on our magic."_

 _"_ _I didn't want to dampen you, any of you, but I know it's the only way to try and speak with you about what's been occurring!"_

 _Hermione let loose a terrifying laugh, her lip curled into a sneer as her eyes held Remus' without even blinking as her and the men formed a circle around their former teacher. He suddenly looked wary and Draco saw his throat constrict and his lips purse as he swallowed thickly and turned slowly to see that he was truly surrounded. Draco himself was staring at the man like he was a particularly delicious piece of prey and he noticed that the entire group of youngsters eyes were all dark and shining._

 _"_ _Now!" Draco yelled. The entire group moved as one and each shouted, "Engorgio!"_

 _Their weapons were full size the next moment and Draco saw Remus tense as he realized that he had managed to dampen his own magic as well and had nothing to use against the extremely pissed off Death Eaters surrounding him._ _He'd be able to try and defend himself but had a feeling it wouldn't do him much good considering it was six on one._

 _He had nowhere to go._

 _The entire group were on him within a second, before he could even think to react, and were beating his body senseless with their terrifying weapons, his screams being drown out by the shouts of glee from the Death Eaters as his bloody body fell to the floor in a heap of robes._

Draco's eyes snapped open and he breathed in a harsh, gasping breath as he shot up in bed. His hands jumped to his head immediately and he groaned harshly, feeling the bile rise in his throat as he kicked off the blankets and ran into the bathroom.

Remus Lupin had no chance against six angry, brainwashed Death Eaters who were trained to use weapons in addition to wands. They had attacked him ruthlessly and murdered him harshly without a fucking shred of remorse.

Draco dropped to his knees in front of the toilet and heaved harshly into the basin, his stomach emptying as his forehead and cheeks broke out into a cold sweat. His stomach stopped rebelling after a few moments and he stood up on shaky legs, approaching the sink slowly before he splashed water onto his face and rinsed out his mouth.

He couldn't believe it. The things they'd done – _he'd_ done.

"Draco?!" He heard from the bedroom, harsh sobs following the call.

"What is it?" he asked, rushing from the bathroom to pull his wife into his arms. Hermione was shaking brutally and she fought him off so she could take her turn in the bathroom. He waited on the bed for her to emerge, his hands trembling and his breathing laboured.

"She didn't kill them," Hermione said, stepping through the doorway after a few minutes. "Tonks didn't kill my parents, Draco."

"I know," he whispered, his head dropping into his hands. "Fuck, I know. I just remembered what happened with Lupin."

"Oh," Hermione said. Draco was surprised she didn't ask what had actually occurred considering how curious and angry she had been about it, but he was glad he didn't have to tell her the truth.

"I remembered what happened before I found George Weasley, when I was fighting with Tonks. God, Draco, what have we done?!"

"It wasn't us," Draco defended, pulling Hermione into his lap. "Not really. It was our bodies doing the bidding of a crazy old man who has sinister plans and even worse ideas about ways to follow through with them."

"It was still us though, Draco. We did these things."

"Unknowingly," he almost yelled, jarring Hermione. She turned on his lap and looked into his eyes, seeing how hard he was taking everything – he was hurt, extremely hurt, by the things they'd done and she knew he didn't want to take the responsibility for everything on his shoulders. He was right, they hadn't had a choice in the things they'd done and if they had there's no way they would have done them. They had been poisoned and tricked into doing things they wouldn't have done otherwise and that alone was enough to break her husband. He had maintained that he'd never wanted to be a killer ever since they'd found out the truth and she believed him, she knew he wasn't lying, but the knowledge that he had become a killer for something so awful and sinister, things that he didn't believe in was hurting him more than anything else could.

"Yes," she breathed, telling him the thing that she knew he needed to hear. "Unknowingly."

"That makes all the difference."

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding on tightly as he held her around the waist and pressed her close. They sat that way, holding each other close for almost an hour, until Draco realized Hermione was sleeping, her breaths against his neck even and deep. He shifted so that she was laying down and she mumbled in her sleep and curled into a ball, her hair hiding her face as she reached an arm out toward him. He joined her in the bed and when her fingers touched his body she let out a little sigh and nuzzled deeper into her pillows and blankets.

Draco smiled for a moment. He watched her closely throughout most of the night, his eyes shining in the moonlight that splashed through the windows.

As dawn approached and Draco still hadn't had a wink of sleep he extracted himself from his wife's embrace and summoned a bag of clothes before he left their bedroom quietly.

"Tiptop," he said quietly into the empty hallways of the castle. His elf appeared immediately, his large eyes shining with delight at being with his master once more.

"I want you to stay with me and Hermione from here on out."

"But Sir, if I stays in the manor I can get information for you."

Draco stared at his elf in shock, he hadn't thought for one second to use his own personal elf, who had already betrayed Tom's orders, as a spy, but now that Tiptop had suggested it made perfectly good sense.

"Then I want you to come back here at least once a day so we know you're alright. You've already sacrificed so much for us and I wouldn't repay you by leaving you to your death."

"Dark Master trusts Tiptop and he doesn't understand that while he can try and force Tiptop to obey him, I'll always be loyal to my true Master. Dark Master tells Tiptop things, Sir, and whenever he does I will make sure I tell you and your Miss. If only the rest of the elves would be able to see that they can still be loyal, but they's scared, Sir."

"Thank you, Tiptop," Draco said in surprise. "It's understandable that the rest of the elves are frightened, but there's more going on here than you know, so don't try to make them tell their masters yet, okay?" The elf nodded in understanding and bestowed a watery smile on Draco before he disappeared. The blond turned on his heel and headed through the dark hallways of Hogwarts, heading for the kitchens.

/

"I've been thinking about my parents," Draco said suddenly as they were walking down the grounds to meet Neville Longbottom. Their progress was slow because Hermione was still healing from their horcrux hunt, but she insisted that they needed to meet her friend and figure everything out. "What if they renewed their vows and bonded with one another? They'd then be able to bypass the vows they took toward Tom and we'd have a couple more people on our side."

"Do you think they'd actually get bonded, though? It might be strange for them after being together for so long."

"My father said he sometimes wished they'd done it, and if it helps them get out from underneath Tom's thumb then I'm sure they'll be thrilled about it."

"How would we go about it?"

"Maybe we could just invite them here and surprise them?"

"Would they have to take the same vows we took, do you think?"

"I don't know, I think I'd prefer if they did since we know for sure that they work. I still have them written down in our room in the castle, so they could just read them directly from the parchment."

"I think it's worth a try. We need to find a Justice though. We can't use the same one we used because he's a Death Eater and I think it would be pretty suspicious if all of a sudden your parents are getting bonded in a vow renewal."

"We'll find someone. Oh, look, Neville Longbottom is a prompt man."

Draco gestured toward the gates they were approaching and a tall, handsome man was standing on the other side. He'd grown out of his pudgy, awkward stage and was now very attractive, but he was quiet and many people thought he was simple. He was, in fact, incredibly smart.

"Hey Hermione!" he called as they got closer. "Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, watching her shuffling movements and slow progress.

"I'm fine," she assured, bestowing him with a bright smile. "We ran into a few complications yesterday and I was a little bit hurt but everything is great."

Hermione moved forward and unlocked the gate with her wand. They had decided that they didn't want people to realize how strong they were, especially if those people hadn't necessarily chosen to help them or not.

"What did you need to speak to me about?" Neville asked, confusion drawing his brows together for a fleeting second. "I have a meeting with Voldemort next week, I thought I wouldn't see you again until I was there."

"Let's just wait till we get to the castle," Draco said, taking Hermione's hand softly in his own to help her walk back to the school.

"Draco," Neville said with a tilt of his head, realizing a bit late that he hadn't acknowledged his friends husband until then.

"Prepare yourself, Longbottom," Draco said as a greeting, and the group traversed the slope slowly and in silence.

Neville was suddenly nervous. He had no idea why he was here and thought that since his friend had heard he'd wanted to join them with Tom that she'd decided it was safe enough to trust him. She seemed nervous though and he could tell by looking at her that she was suffering the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse.

"Do you need some pain potion?" Neville asked, breaking the heavy silence between them.

"You have some?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in distrust.

"I always carry it," Neville informed the married couple. "I've been hexed too many times to have learned to not carry it with me everywhere I go."

"Where do you get it?" Draco asked, still looking incredibly wary.

"I brew it myself," Neville answered slowly, not understanding why they both looked so nervous. "Merlin, Hermione, it's not as if I'd poison it."

The Malfoy's both blanched almost imperceptibly, but Neville had been watching people and their reactions for much too long for it to go unnoticed. Something had happened to the two of them.

"Why are you staying at the castle?" Neville asked, confused and unsure why he'd been brought to his former school, of all places.

"It's safe," Hermione said cryptically. "Especially now that Draco went to the kitchens and freed all of the elves."

Neville's eyebrows shot up high on his face upon hearing that.

"You're trying to maintain this place without any elves?"

"We have one," Draco said quietly. "One that we know for sure can be trusted."

"Trusted?"

"We're almost there, Neville. Then we'll explain everything," Hermione said, gesturing to a portrait that they were obviously going to enter.

Neville watched as Draco helped Hermione through the portrait hole before he escorted her to a chair and helped her settle into it. He thought a look of guilt crossed the blonds face as Hermione grimaced slightly while changing positions and he couldn't help but wonder why Draco was involved in whatever had caused her to be in so much pain.

"Please take this," Neville urged, pulling a potion from an inside pocket of his cloak and extending the vial to his friend. "You obviously need it and I swear there's nothing wrong with it."

Draco was the one to take the potion from Neville's hand. He uncorked the vial and held it near his face, using his hand to waft the smell to his nose instead of sniffing it directly. They were obviously being very cautious and the entire situation made Neville lick his lips nervously – they had to have a reason for being so wary of something as small as a potion.

Draco obviously deemed the potion to be safe because he turned to his wife and held it out to her in one fluid motion. Their eyes connected and he nodded almost imperceptibly, so Hermione took the vial from his fingers tentatively and knocked it back in one quick gulp.

She sighed as the potion numbed her pain.

"Thank you, Neville," she said in appreciation as her face dropped the pained lines it had been carrying the entire walk to and from the gates. "Maybe we should buy a bunch of supplies and start brewing our own selection of potions. I bet the cauldrons are all still available in the dungeons and if we carry through with our plans we're going to need them," Hermione said, turning to Draco and looking at him closely.

"That's not a bad idea," Draco agreed. "I'll buy some as soon as I'm able to get out of here for a few hours."

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Neville asked, confusion making him nervous and edgy.

Hermione sighed. "There's so much to explain, but I suppose I'll just start at the beginning."


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N- Thank you to everyone taking the few minutes it takes to leave a review and also to those who have favourited and followed the story - it's greatly appreciated. Also thank you to my beta Nina for her hard work!**

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

"Can I get some tea, or something?" Neville asked after Hermione had finished speaking. His mouth was dry from listening to what his friend and her husband were saying. Could it be right?! Would it be awful if he asked for some sort of proof, or should he just take them for their word?

"Tea?!" Draco asked, his temper slipping – not for the first time.

"It's just a lot to take in…"

"Of course you can have some tea," Hermione said soothingly, shooting her husband an annoyed glance before going to stand from the table. She'd been talking for so long that the potion had begun to wear off again; it was well past dinner and the sky outside was darkening. "I'll get some food, too. I'm sure you're both starving."

"Sit," Draco said, watching his wife closely as she went to stand. Her eyes had crinkled in pain and the guilt shot through him immediately. "I'll get it, you just relax."

"I can make a pot of tea, Draco."

"Please just sit down and visit with your friend."

Hermione sighed in annoyance but took her seat anyway, turning to Neville to see that he still looked extremely confused and also a little bit surprised to see that Draco Malfoy did have manners and knew how to use them, too.

"I know it's a lot all at once," she said, reaching a hand out to clench onto his tightly. "I swear it's the truth though, and whatever type of reassurance or proof you need that we aren't lying, I'll show it to you. Evidence, memories, no question."

"I just… what are you guys going to do now? You've got the Order and the Death Eaters against you… or will, once Voldemort realizes that you've left his side."

"We're going to attempt to build up our own army, Neville. We need recruits and we were sort of hoping that you'd be our first."

"So you're going to fight both sides of the war? I don't know how well that's going to work out for you, Hermione…"

Hermione sighed. "I know we're asking a lot, I do, but I also truly think if we could build up our own team that we could really have a chance at this. We don't want to kill every Death Eater, we want to kill Tom Riddle – just like we don't want to kill every Order member. The problem is that we can't just go and plead our case to the Death Eaters because of the vow they take upon receiving the Mark – I'd love nothing more than to be able to have people from both sides following us, but it's just impossible."

"Why don't they just get bonded like you and Draco did? Then they'll know the truth and will be able to help us."

It wasn't lost on Hermione that Neville had included himself in his statement.

"How are we supposed to convince people that they need to bond, Neville? I mean for people like… Draco's parents, for instance, it'll be easier because they're already married, but for just friends and innocents, people who aren't even in a relationship… it's just impossible. Plus, the only Justice we know of is the Death Eater who bonded us, and he would obviously inform Tom. We can't risk Tom coming to the conclusion that people are able to step away from his vows."

"I know a Justice of the Peace," Neville informed her, watching as Draco approached the table with plates of food. "Who I don't think would be opposed to helping you with your plans at all."

"Really?!" Hermione asked, sitting straight and watching Neville closely before her husband put a plate down in front of her. She broke eye contact and smiled up at him, the love between them so obvious in that moment.

"Really. But before I commit to anything I need to see the journals, Hermione. It's not that I don't trust you, I just… well, I don't really trust anyone anymore. So I guess it is because I don't trust you." His mouth quirked in a wry, sad smile.

"I completely understand, Neville. I really do. We need to stop anyone we can from joining Tom from here on out. Accio," the journals shot into Hermione's hands and she passed them across the table to Neville seconds before Draco began urging her to eat.

Neville looked at his plate warily.

"Don't worry, Longbottom, we haven't eaten food provided by Tom or any of his elves for weeks now."

Neville let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief before digging into his plate, his non-dominant hand holding a journal open beside his plate so he could read and eat simultaneously.

Hermione watched him warily, hoping beyond hope that he'd believe everything and stay on their side. Neville was a smart man and he knew when things were serious.

"I should tell you that the Order isn't doing well," Neville said suddenly. "Dumbledore is on the verge of death, Ron hasn't been seen for weeks and Harry is not taking any of it well. The rest of the Order seems to be collapsing from the lack of leadership. I don't think it would take too much effort to sway a lot of them to join you, Hermione – everyone has been so worried about you for months and were truly trying to do everything they could to get you back and make you see reason. Now I know that you've killed a few of our members, so a lot of them will be out for your blood, but the younger ones, the ones who weren't close to them… I think they'd help you. Actually, I'm worried about Ginny, as well. While I know she's a spy for Tom… we need to think of a way to get her out of it and bringing her to safety."

"She'll have to marry and bond to someone to get out of the vow, Neville. It's the only way we know of."

"Can I bring her to see you? Next time I come I'm going to try and bring some people with me, maybe I'll tell her it's a mission for the Order… she'd have no choice then. I'm going to bring the Justice I know then, as well… maybe you could convince her to marry me, or something."

Hermione's eyes bulged and she turned to her husband quickly. Draco's eyebrows had shot up on his forehead and he turned to Neville seriously.

"Bonding ceremonies aren't a joke, Neville. It's for real and it's for life… Do you think you could tie yourself to Ginny Weasley for the rest of your life?"

"To save her? No question."

"I think you should focus on getting some of the younger Order members here first, as well as the Justice. We have a few people whom we already know we want to bond so they can get out of this mess, but I have to ask you something of somewhat sensitive nature."

"What is it, Hermione?"

"Will he do same-sex bondings?"

Neville frowned for a moment, clearly having no idea why she would ask such a question.

"I don't see why not. Due to youth, you'll find my friend much more accepting of those relationships than most traditional Justices would be."

Hermione visibly relaxed upon hearing that answer and Draco himself even seemed to perk up a bit.

"When can you be back?" Draco asked as he finished eating the food on his plate.

"The day after tomorrow?"

"Excellent," Hermione breathed. "Now we just need to get our friends here and get this dealt with as quickly as we can," she said to her husband, who nodded in agreement.

"I think I can get them here without Tom, anyway, and then they obviously won't be leaving again."

"Well, Hermione," Neville said, standing from the table. "I think I've seen enough in the journals to trust that the rest of what you've told me is true. I'm so sorry that all of this has happened to you and it would be my honour to fight for you in the upcoming war."

"Oh, Neville," Hermione sighed, tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't realized how badly she'd wanted to hear those words until they'd spilled from his lips. "Thank you so, so much."

"I'll be back in a couple days with the Justice and then I'll do my best on recruitments – if Ginny comes with me at any point you're going to have to be prepared to convince her to marry me. I want to get as much done as possible before my meeting with Voldemort was supposed to take place, because I don't think he's going to take it very well when I don't show up for it."

"I would say not," Draco said, nodding. "If you're able to bring the Justice back even tomorrow, please feel free. You're right that we're running out of time."

"Nine days," Hermione said quietly. They had nine days to get everything in order before Neville's meeting with Tom was supposed to take place.

Neville held his hand out to Draco, nodding in accord. It took the blond a total of four seconds before he gripped it in his own and gave it a hearty shake.

"Glad to help out in any way necessary," the taller, dark-haired man said honestly.

"Glad to have you," Draco answered.

Neville dropped four healing potions on the table before pulling Hermione in for a hug.

"I'll probably be back tomorrow," he said. "Be prepared for anything."

"We will," Hermione said, smiling gratefully at her friend.

/

 _"_ _To Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy —_

 _Father and Mother,_

 _Hermione and I would love to have the two of you here for a visit tomorrow. I know you're busy settling into the Minister position, but we felt it necessary to make amends for missing the congratulatory dinner you held the other night. Unfortunately, Hermione has been feeling unwell, and I did not feel comfortable leaving her, but we miss you and we would really love to see you both! We have a few special things planned for the two of you so please do try your hardest to make it._

 _Please reply with return owl and let us know if you'll be here or not. Hermione and I will meet you at the gates at Two O'Clock P.M. sharp._

 _Your son,_

 _Draco Lucius Malfoy"_

 _/_

 _"_ _Blaise,_

 _Something rather urgent has come to my attention and I need you to meet me in Hogsmeade, outside of Dogweed and Deathcap at Nine A.M sharp. I'll explain everything to you upon our meeting._

 _P.S. – Hermione misses you!_

 _Draco"_

 _/_

 _"_ _Theodore,_

 _Please meet me outside of Dogweed and Deathcap in Hogsmeade at Nine A.M sharp tomorrow morning. We have much to discuss and Hermione misses you terribly._

 _Draco"_

/

"I'm heading out," Draco told Hermione the next morning. She wanted to accompany him to the herbologist's and apothecary to procure some basic potion making essentials before meeting with Theo and Blaise, but they both knew that she still needed her rest.

The potions Neville had left for her had been appreciated and she was using them appropriately, but even with their aid she still needed to take it easy until she was healed.

"Let me accompany you to the gates!" she said. They had no idea when Neville would arrive, but since it had been made starkly clear that they didn't have tons of time, they knew he'd be rushing to complete his tasks and return.

"I doubt he will be here this early, Hermione."

"We don't know that, though, and I won't have them sitting at the gates all day like easy targets while waiting for me to get down there. Neville knows how pressing this is – we only have nine days!"

"Alright, love. I'm going to apparate us down there then, to save our time and your energy." He caressed her face and she tilted her head to press a kiss to the pad of his thumb. "Make sure you bring a blanket and a book or something. Oh, don't forget your potion!"

Hermione filled her pockets with everything she'd need before taking Draco's arm and allowing him to side-along her to the castle gates. He kissed her quickly on the mouth after transfiguring her a chaise beneath a tent-like shade that would help keep the chill out, and apparated away to meet Blaise and Theo.

He could only hope that the Justice was at the castle when he arrived back with his friends – he hoped to get their bond cemented before his parents made their arrival.

/

Draco wanted to get his shopping out of the way before his friends arrived so he was hurrying around the herbologist's collecting everything he figured they might possibly need. He was more than grateful that he had a massive fortune on his hands because potion making was not cheap – not like anything actually was – but he didn't even bat an eye when the proprietor told him his grand total.

"You're sure buying a lot," the wizened old man said in a way of making conversation as he loaded Draco's supplies into a bag that would ensure nothing broke in his travels.

"Yeah," Draco said distractedly, watching Blaise and Theo arrive through the grimy front window. "My wife wants to practice her skill, she's thinking of applying for a Potions Mastery…Thank you," he said to the obviously nervous man, who started upon hearing those words from Draco Malfoy. He exited the shop while a cluster of star-shaped bells hanging on the door gave a jaunty clang, and he was away to meet his friends.

"Draco," Blaise said cautiously, unsure why he'd been summoned to his leader's side in the village of Hogsmeade. "Where's Hermione?"

"Waiting for us at the castle," Draco answered after clapping both of his friends on the back. "I just need to stop at the apothecary quick and then we can head up. I was planning on having this done before you arrived but I was running a little behind this morning."

"Why didn't she accompany you?" Theo asked in confusion. Draco and Hermione weren't usually separated, so seeing only one of them was slightly strange.

"She's been… she got a little bit hurt the other day, so we decided it wouldn't do for her to be traipsing all over the countryside."

"She got hurt?" and, "Is she okay?!" Blaise and Theo exclaimed simultaneously.

"She's alright, just healing up with some potions and decided to wait for the two of you at the castle."

"What happened?" Theo demanded, blocking Draco's progress toward the apothecary.

"We'll tell you about it when we're all together. This is not the place to discuss it," Draco answered firmly, but his heartbeat thrummed in his ears and he felt a pricking in his eyes as he thought about his poor wife bleeding on the floor beneath his hands.

"What did you do?!" Theo all but yelled, his anger taking hold incredibly fast.

"I said this isn't the place," Draco growled, hand twisted in Theo's robes unconsciously as he shoved him into the nearest wall, outside Dervish and Banges. His eyes flashed dangerously.

Blaise placed his hand on Theo's shoulder and the tow-headed man seemed to calm down fractionally. They followed the blond down the street and watched in confusion as he bought out almost the entire apothecary, cramming things into the non-breakable bags until they were so full, ingredients were poking out of the top.

"What are you doing, Draco?" Blaise asked, wondering why it seemed like his leader wanted to begin brewing his own potions. "Tom provides all the potions we need; why would you waste the time brewing your own?"

"Hermione felt like she wanted to start brewing again – she said she hasn't done it since school and she wants to get back into it. Apparently it calms her," Draco shrugged, his face bearing the time-honored bemused expression of married men.

His friends took his word without question and they all turned toward the pathway that led to Hogwarts, Blaise and Theo excited to see Hermione again.

/

Hermione sat alone for a surprisingly short amount of time before Neville appeared in front of her on the other side of the gates.

"Neville!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and then instantly regretting it. A muscle in her thigh pulled uncomfortably when she jumped up, momentarily forgetting about her injuries, and she groaned in pain as she limped forward to unlock the gates and allow her friend and his small, hooded companion entrance.

"Are you alright, Hermione? Did you not take any more potion?"

"I have but I've been trying to make it last, so I've been taking smaller doses than I should be."

"Don't be silly," Neville chided. "Finish up that vial, I brought you a few more."

"Draco's gone to buy ingredients and supplies but it'll still have to brew for a few weeks before it's ready."

"I'll bring everything I have next time I come, but until then I brought more and they should get you through the worst of it."

"Thanks," Hermione said appreciatively before turning to the hooded figure beside her friend. She could see long blonde hair spilling out from beneath the hood and raised her eyebrow in question. She had assumed from what Neville told her that the Justice was a man, but maybe she was mistaken?

"Hello," she said timidly, unsure how she should speak to the person in front of her.

"Hello, Hermione!" the girl said happily, flipping her hood back so her blonde hair fell in even longer sheets and her protuberant eyes were glittering in the sunlight.

"Luna?" Hermione breathed, surprised. "You're the Justice?!"

"I am," Luna answered dreamily, approaching Hermione before giving her a hug. "I had been keeping myself neutral in this war, but after Neville told me everything, I realized that there actually is a side I'd be honoured to join. I'm going to help recruit as well, Hermione. We need all the help we can get."

"Wow," Hermione said, shocked about this turn of events. She truly didn't think she'd ever see Luna again.

"Should we get up there?" Luna asked, gesturing to the castle. Hermione nodded and Luna led the way, humming happily to herself.

"I… Luna? Wow," Hermione said to Neville, who chuckled and made Hermione drink her healing potion before they followed the blonde.

"I know it's a surprise, and I know everyone thinks she's completely bonkers, but I personally think she's brilliant. She hasn't supported either side of this war and when I explained everything to her last night she wanted to jump up and travel here immediately, literally at three in the morning. It was a struggle to get her to wait until now, even, but she's excited to be here to help."

"I'm glad for her help," Hermione admitted. "While she may not be on all the same wavelengths as the rest of us it doesn't mean she's barkers. She's genuine about her beliefs and that's that. Once we get to the castle I'm going to have to ask you to stay hidden until after Blaise and Theo have been bonded. If they see you before that then they'll know something's up. The fact that Luna has stayed neutral is actually better for us – less explaining to do."

"That was my thought exactly. After their bonding you should usher them away to read the journals immediately, so they know what's happening right off the hop."

Hermione's cheeks reddened.

"What?" Neville asked from beside her, not understanding at all.

"It won't be quite that simple," Hermione admitted, her face still red. She seemed determined to tell her friend why it wouldn't be that easy though. "Once you bond your… uh… sexual urges kind of take over. I doubt we'll see them until tomorrow."

"Oh," Neville said as an answer, his own face reddening.

"I could probably convince Tiptop to enter their room once they're asleep and leave the journals on their end table, though."

"Good. They need to be aware."

"Yes, they do. I think I should leave a brief note, as well," she mused.

"Hermione!" Luna called from the castle steps, waving her right arm in the air. "Have you seen this unbelievably huge wrackspurt nest?!"

Hermione met Neville's eyes and they shared a small grin.

"No, Luna! I can't say that I have!"

/

"Why are we here, Draco?" Blaise asked as they made their way up the snow covered, sloping lawns to the front doors. Draco vanished the bags he was carrying to his room as soon as they crossed the boundary to the grounds so he didn't have to continue carrying them all the way up to the castle, and Theo cut him off before he could answer.

"I want to see Hermione," Theo said, his face pinched slightly. "I want to see her now."

"We're here because Hermione and I have a huge surprise for the two of you, and you'll see her right away Theo, stop being such a whiner."

"A surprise?" the two asked, Theo ignoring Draco's comment completely.

"A fairly large one."

"Oh, Christ, she's pregnant isn't she?" Blaise asked, his lip curling.

"No!" Draco said, quickly, almost tripping over his own feet at the thought. "No. That's not it at all."

"Oh," Blaise said in answer, while Theo laughed at his blond friend.

"Merlin," Draco said, his hand clutching his chest.

"What's the surprise then?"

"We're twenty feet from the front door, I'm sure you can wait a few more moments."

Theo took off at a run, calling Hermione's name as he threw open the doors and entered the large castle – Draco and Blaise shared a look and took off after the other boy. Blaise ran right into his back and almost sent them both to the floor as Draco stopped in his tracks and stared at the sight in front of him. His wife was there, smiling happily at the arrival of Draco and her friends, but he never in a million years expected to see Loony Lovegood standing beside her, a sash for a bonding ceremony held loosely in her right hand.

"Hello," she said happily and as though nothing strange at all was going on.

"Hermione?" Theo asked, completely ignoring the long blonde haired girl as he took in his friend. She seemed fine, happy and upbeat, actually, and he didn't understand why she hadn't accompanied Draco to Hogsmeade.

"Theo," she said, her face splitting into a radiant grin as she moved away from Luna and approached her friends. "How are you?" she asked, pulling Theo in for a hug before releasing him and turning to Blaise.

"Much better now that I see you aren't some sort of invalid. Your dear old husband here made it sound as though something truly awful happened to you, Christ, Draco, have you ever heard of reassurances?"

"We'll tell you our story a little bit later," Hermione said, moving to her husband's side and taking his hand. "Right now, we have other things to tend to."

"Like what?" Blaise asked, his eyes jumping to Luna for a moment before turning back to his friends, confusion more than evident.

"You're going to be bonded," Hermione said, a grin on her face.

"What?" Theo asked, and he truly sounded confused. Not shocked or surprised, just confused.

"We've arranged for you and Blaise to be bonded. I know it's a little bit of a shock but we really think it's something the two of you should do."

Theo opened his mouth but before he could get a word out Hermione held up a hand and cut him off.

"I know it's something the two of you wanted to do but you were worried you'd be unable to find a Justice to actually preform the ceremony. As it is, Luna, who as you know has been a neutral faction, has agreed to do it for the two of you."

Theo turned to Blaise, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"Seriously?" Blaise almost whispered to his friends. "You've done this for us?"

"Of course we have," Hermione answered. "We know how much the two of you love each other and thought it was unfair that you couldn't find anyone to let you express it. We've found her, so now you just have to go up there and do what she says."

"Oh, and read these," Draco said, passing his vows to his two friends.

"This is…"

"Perfect," Blaise exclaimed, turning to Theo and pulling him in for a hug. "I love you and I think everyone should know it!"

"Let's do it!" Theo said suddenly, his eyes slightly shiny. "Thank you," he whispered. "Both of you."

"Think nothing of it," Draco said, pulling Hermione forward to witness one of the many, many bonding ceremonies that would be taking place within the next few days.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N- Thank you to my betas Nina and Ku'upio for their hard work on this chapter and also to KomeKozzy425 for being amazing. And of course a humongous thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favourited this story! It wouldn't be what it is without everyone's amazing support!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

"Draco, darling," Narcissa called as her son approached.

Blaise and Theo had promptly disappeared after their bonding ceremony, dropping the vow on the floor at Luna's feet before turning away and rushing through the halls. Theo came back a little bit later looking thoroughly shagged before he admitted, in a very embarrassed tone, that they had no idea which room they should be using for the night.

Hermione laughed appreciatively and told them they can pick any room they wanted as long as they stayed away from the portrait of the drunken knight, because that was her and Draco's room. He turned and ran away so quickly that Draco couldn't help but to chuckle. He could remember very clearly how he was able to feel Hermione's lust on top of his own and how driven he was to have her repeatedly.

Hermione stayed in the castle while he went to fetch his parents from the gate. They'd shared lunch with Neville and Luna in the old Divination classroom, of all places, because of Luna's insistence that there was a large nest of Blibbering Humdingers infesting the tower. Hermione listened to the two newcomers talk about their plans for recruiting new members to their side. Once Narcissa and Lucius were bonded and had chosen a room, Neville would come down from hiding in the Room of Requirement – it just seemed like the best spot for him at the moment, since not many people were aware of its existence.

"Mum, Dad!" Draco approached and opened the gates to allow his parents entrance.

"How is everything going, my boy?" Lucius asked as his son closed the gates again and began walking up to the castle.

"Great."

"Where's my daughter-in-law?" Narcissa asked.

"She's waiting in the castle," Draco said, annoyed that it seemed like he'd have to explain again that she was slightly injured.

"I can't wait to see her," his mum admitted, but didn't ask any more, much to Draco's relief.

"We have a pretty big surprise for the two of you," he said as they approached the castle. He was a lot more nervous to tell his parents that they were about to be bonded than he was in telling his friends.

"Ah, Hermione's pregnant already?" Lucius asked knowingly.

"What? No! Merlin…"

"What's the surprise then?" Narcissa asked, disappointment evident in her tone.

 _Did everyone just happen to forget we're in the middle of a war?_ Draco asked himself, amazed that it seemed like everyone wanted his wife to be pregnant.

"Hello Lucius, Narcissa!" Hermione said from the top of the staircase they were ascending.

"Hermione," they both greeted, smiling at the girl. "My son tells me that you've arranged for a surprise for the two of us?" Narcissa asked, reaching out and touching Hermione's shoulder lightly as she leaned in to buss a kiss to her cheek.

"We do. Now, don't be upset, but the last time we had dinner with the two of you, Lucius, you expressed your desire for this to happen. Since we weren't able to be there for the congratulatory dinner over obtaining the Minister post, we thought this would be our way of letting you know how happy we are for the two of you."

Narcissa looked nervous and Lucius' eyebrow twitched slightly in question.

"Follow me," Draco said, leading the way into the entrance hall of the castle, where Luna was once again standing with the bonding sash. "We've found a neutral who would love nothing more than to be the one to bond the two of you."

"Bond?" Lucius asked, turning to his son in shock.

"You said at dinner that you've always wished to be bonded to mum and since it's such an amazing thing we decided that we would arrange for it. You're really missing out, Dad, because it's honestly one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

"We're going to be bonded?" Narcissa asked, and Draco began to doubt their plans. It had to work though, his parents needed to be freed from Tom's control.

"It's so wonderful, Narcissa, and we do truly feel like the two of you are missing out. Loving your husband is one thing, but to be bonded and feel that reciprocated love every moment of every day is one of the best feelings in the world. If it wasn't so wonderful we would really never expect you to go through with it, but we really hope you'll just trust us."

"I'm hardly wearing the right outfit for a ceremony, Hermione."

Draco knew they'd won.

"Let me just do a little bit of transfiguration then, Mum, and you'll be ready. It won't take but a moment."

Narcissa turned to Draco and he quickly changed her blue robes into a stunning white gown that complimented the woman before him perfectly.

Lucius let out a breath and for the first time Hermione was able to witness how truly in love the couple were.

"Don't forget the vows," she reminded. Draco dug into his pocket and removed the parchment before passing it on to his father.

"Read this exactly, both of you, for your vows. They were so perfect for Hermione and me that we'd be honored if you'd share them with us."

"Of course," Narcissa breathed, tears already beginning to blur her vision. She'd never expected her son to be so thoughtful and do something this wonderful for her and her husband – Hermione really had a way of pulling out the best of him.

/

"Glad that's over with," Draco admitted as he sat down for dinner with Neville, Luna and his wife. "I've already had Tiptop leave the journals in Blaise and Theo's room, so whenever they wake up from their little nap I'm sure they'll read them. Whenever they're done with them Tiptop will take them to my parents' room so they can be informed about everything that's going on as well."

"Sounds perfect," Neville said, reaching for another dinner bun.

"Thank you so much, Luna," Hermione gushed. "You're really a lifesaver."

"Don't mention it," the blonde replied airily. "I'm sure I'll be performing quite a few more of these ceremonies as the days go by. After dinner I'm going to break away from you all and find some supporters. Neville's going to the Order, but since I've never been a member I'm not cleared to be there."

"Who are you hoping to recruit?" Draco asked the strange blonde girl curiously. If she wasn't a part of either side of the war it would be hard for her to find anyone, in his opinion.

"There are plenty of neutrals that I'm sure would take your side if they knew what was happening. I understand that I have to keep it quiet to ensure no Death Eaters hear of it, because if they do then we'll die, but I have my ways."

"I bet you do," Draco said under his breath.

"I know of at least a few Order members who would be willing, but Hermione, I'm truly worried about Ginny. If she hears the whispering that I'm sure is already spreading around because of what I've already said then she's as good as dead."

Hermione's face paled.

"Fuck, Neville. I didn't even think about that. You should find her and bring her here immediately, if you can wait Luna?! I know this seems rushed but I'll figure out a way to get her married to you, Neville, if you still want to do it, of course."

"I will," Neville said, his cheeks reddening. That's when Hermione realized that maybe Neville already had feelings for Ginny.

"Didn't you take her to the Yule Ball in our fourth year?" Draco asked suddenly, seemingly reading Hermione's mind.

"Yes," he said with a dip of his head.

"Neville," Hermione said quietly, her hands reaching out to his. "You've always had feelings for her, haven't you?"

His cheeks were flaming so red that Hermione was surprised she couldn't feel the heat permeating from them.

"Yes, I have, but she was interested in Harry until a few years ago and everything was just so fucked up the last few years that I didn't have a chance to tell her how I feel."

"Please go find her," Hermione whispered, clenching his hands. "Find her and bring her here immediately so we can ensure that she's safe."

Neville nodded, avoiding eye contact with anyone else at the table.

"I think I can say we trust you enough for me to allow you access to the grounds, as well," Hermione said nicely as Neville stood up. Hermione held her hands in the air and altered the wards so that Neville would be able to apparate in and out of his own free will and she could stop going to the gates to let him and out. If he did anything to make her trust waver, she could change the wards back just as easily.

Luna gasped.

"You just did that wandlessly!"

"Yes," Hermione said, her face heating up a little bit. "Another benefit of bonding with your husband or wife is that your powers are shared between the two of you, making you a little bit more powerful than you'd be on your own."

"Amazing," Neville said, watching her.

"You can apparate in and out for now, Longbottom," Draco said, pushing Hermione's plate closer to her and grabbing her attention.

"Good luck," Hermione called as Neville turned on the spot and disappeared from the room.

/

Hermione was standing in the Great Hall with Draco and Luna, trying to figure out how they were going to find more elves who weren't under Tom's thumb to manage the castle and feed all of the recruits they'd hopefully have by the end of the week when Theo burst through the double doors and ran straight for her.

Draco looked up at the commotion of the doors opening and took one look at Theo's face before immediately shoving Hermione behind him.

The man was positively livid. Blaise came crashing through a few feet behind his husband and began running as hard as he could, taking Theo down only feet in front of Draco and Hermione. Luna stood back and watched curiously, her expression saying that this was going to be nothing more than a good show.

"Get off me!" Theo shouted, trying to wrestle Blaise away from him so he could get back to his feet.

"No," Blaise yelled back. "You aren't going to be pissed at Draco and Hermione for this! It isn't their fault. They found out by accident and I'm glad they've decided to show us everything!"

"They could have… You could have warned us!" Theo screamed turning angry eyes to his friends. "You let us walk into this with no knowledge of what we were going to see!"

"We couldn't tell you," Hermione said in an angry voice as she stormed out from behind Draco. He was trying to hold her there but she wasn't having any of that. "If we told you before you were bonded, you would have died, Theodore Nott, and that was obviously what we were trying to avoid!"

"Would have died?!" he asked, his voice pitching up a little bit. "How would we have died?"

"Think about your vows to Tom, you moron! We found out about this because our vows were able to override the ones he made us take! We knew then that since we weren't struck down on the spot that we'd have to be careful and do everything in our power to make sure no marked Death Eaters found out about any of it until they were bonded and had taken the same vows that we did."

Theo looked like he'd lost his will.

"Greg and Vince," he said sadly. "If we'd figured this out sooner… they'd still be alive."

"Yes," Draco agreed as he reached for Hermione and held her to his side tightly. "They would be, but thinking like that isn't going to do us any good. We can't change it, Theo. We just need to fight against the causes that killed them."

"There are so many people that need to be saved from Tom's clutches, but there's no way to do it unless they've been bonded?"

"Not that we know of," Hermione said, her chin rising slightly. "We've been wracking our brains but haven't come up with a single idea that would do it, but please, if you know of anything don't be shy."

"I don't know," Theo answered.

"I have to warn you," Draco said after clearing his throat. "You're going to begin dreaming once all the potion and poisons are out of your system. They aren't pleasant and they aren't actually dreams – Hermione and I have both had to run to the bathroom upon waking a few times – but they're the true memories of everything that has happened while we were out on missions and raids."

Hermione sniffled suddenly and turned her face into her husband's chest. It was still hard for her to think about how she'd killed a few of her former friends so ruthlessly.

"Is it that bad?" Blaise asked, watching the girl's actions.

"It's worse than you can even imagine."

"We're going to have to have a meeting of some sort after my parents read the journals."

"Your parents?"

"Oh yes, my parents were bonded earlier this afternoon, a few hours after you and Theo."

"So you're just going to make everyone get bonded?"

"If that's what it takes we will. But we have lots to discuss after our group grows a little bit bigger."

"I'd say we do," Blaise said, staring at Hermione. Her pain potion must have been wearing off because she was suddenly hanging onto Draco a little tighter than she had been just a few minutes before and the shadows and tightening of her eyes was a dead giveaway.

Draco shot Blaise a look and picked up his wife so that her legs went around his waist. He carried her to the closest table and sat her down gently, reaching into his pocket and producing a vial of potion.

"This is the last dose I can take today," she told Draco with a shaky voice. "I think I've been too busy and it's causing the potion to wear off more quickly than usual."

"You really need to take it easy," he said softly as he uncorked the vial and handed her the small bottle.

"There's no time to take it easy," she said brusquely, plucking the vial from his fingers and downing the potion in one.

"Are you going to explain this us?" Theo asked, sounding upset as he watched his friend take a pain potion.

"Later," Hermione said dismissively. She was going to continue but heard a commotion in the entrance hall of the castle. "Ginny," she breathed, standing up and rushing from the Great Hall.

"You need to control her better so she doesn't get even more hurt," Blaise said, gesturing to his friend.

"Control her?" Draco asked, his left eyebrow raised. "Have you met Hermione?"

A sudden peal of laughter from behind them caused them each to jump and turn around quickly. Luna was standing there laughing at Draco's comment, surprising them because they'd each forgotten about her presence completely.

"Control her," she repeated, still laughing to herself as she passed the men.

Theo looked at Draco in surprise and the blond shrugged his shoulders before they turned to follow her from the Great Hall and see what Ginny Weasley was going to do.

"Remember to not give anything away while we try to convince her," Draco told his friends. They each nodded and realized they had no way to make Ginny want to bond with someone she wasn't even dating.

"Hey guys," Ginny said with a wave as the men all trouped out of the Great Hall. "Can't say I'm surprised to see you here, it's not like you go anywhere without Draco. Would someone care to tell me why I'm here and what Luna's doing in the castle?"

"Luna is a Justice of the Peace," Hermione said slowly, her hands wringing together in front of her.

"For what?" Ginny asked, confusion drawing her eyebrows together.

"For… well, you see…"

"Hermione?"

"Neville came to us a few days ago and was going on and on about how much he cares about you, Ginny. He said ever since the Yule Ball he's had feelings for you,"

"Hey!" Neville shouted, his cheeks lighting up with embarrassment, but Hermione ignored him and ploughed on.

"And I know this is going to be a complete shock, but he was going to propose to you tonight. Once Luna heard of the plan she thought she'd do one better and show up here to marry you guys. You know how these things go," Hermione said, waving a hand in front of herself as if to say, 'this happens all the time!'

"Hermione," Ginny started, seconds before bursting out into laughter. "I'm sorry," she said breathlessly after a few moments. "That sounds completely crazy, Neville, I know we had… uh… relations, once, but that doesn't mean I want to marry you."

"What!?" Hermione asked, completely thrown for a loop. "You fucked him?" Ginny reddened and bit her lip.

Draco knew for a fact now that he could make this work, old Pureblood traditions demanded certain things be handled a specific way and he was hypocritical enough to use it to their advantage.

"Ginny Weasley," he started in a smooth voice. "You're a Pureblood, as is Neville, and you both know that once you've slept with someone it's only proper that you wed! How long ago did this happen?!"

"Three years," Ginny said, at the exact same time that Neville said, "A little over a month ago."

They both turned to each other in shock, never for a moment thinking that the other one would give a different answer.

"Three years?!" Draco asked, "You only would have been fifteen years of age, young Miss. Weasley! Did Neville take your purity?"

Ginny's face was beginning to flame but Hermione had a feeling that Draco was going somewhere with his line of questioning so she kept her mouth shut and let him do what he was going to do.

"Yeah," she mumbled, looking embarrassed and maybe even a little bit chagrined. Hermione realized that at some point she had to have cheated on Harry Potter in order for them to swing that coupling.

"Well then the choice is simply completely out of your hands," Draco said suddenly, looking like a stern parent. "You both know as well as I do that when a Pureblood witch has had her purity taken the only thing to do is get married and try to not be too ashamed of your actions. You've both managed to stay out of that situation for years, but considering that you've just had sex again a few weeks ago, you're better off to tie the knot and push the embarrassment away."

"If you want to go by that line of thinking then you clearly should have married Parkinson years ago, Malfoy," Ginny spat, getting annoyed pretty quickly about the fact that Draco was trying to force her to get married.

Draco twisted his face into one of confusion so expertly that Hermione figured if she weren't bonded to the guy she would have bought what came out of his mouth next, too.

"Rumours, Ginevra. I hadn't slept with Pansy, or anyone else for that matter, until I married my wife. Everything that was said was done so to stroke my ego and make me feel better about the fact that I hadn't had sex. You need to do the right thing, Ginny. You've slept with this wizard time and time again, and Merlin, what if you're pregnant?! You slept together only weeks ago, could you imagine the ridicule you'd receive from everyone if they were to realize you were pregnant out of wedlock!? What would your mother say?"

Hermione could see Ginny's resolve breaking down fairly quickly and she had to wonder if the red headed girl in front of her could actually be pregnant. Her face had lost its red tinge fairly quickly and she suddenly looked rather pale. Hermione turned her attention to Neville and was shocked to see that he also looked very unsure all of a sudden.

Her guess was that they'd forgotten to use any form of protection on their last little tryst.

"For fuck's sake, Ginny! Are you pregnant?!" Hermione shouted, unable to control herself when the realization hit.

Ginny looked trapped and turned guilty eyes to Neville, who was looking shocked.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said before promptly bursting into tears. This was obviously not how she would have wanted Neville to find out, but the man didn't look upset at all – in fact, he looked to be shocked with an undercurrent of joy in his eyes. "I was going to tell you but every time I wanted to I'd chicken out. Draco's right, though, if we don't get married our child will be persecuted, never mind what everyone would think about the two of us."

Draco and Hermione glanced at each other and smiled – this was just too perfect.

"Well luckily for the two of you we have a Justice right here! I'm sure you could even convince all of us to tell a little fib and say you got married a month or two before you actually did."

"Really?" Ginny asked, hope alight in her eyes. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course we would, Ginny," Hermione answered as she pulled her friend in for a hug. No wonder Neville had been so worried and so adamant that Ginny needed to be removed from the situation as quickly as possible. He may not have known that she was pregnant but he had feelings for her that went deeper than a little crush considering they'd slept together on more than one occasion, and even though the group only knew about two times it had happened Hermione was willing to wager that it had happened plenty more than that.

/

"That worked out well," Draco said later that night while they were snuggled in their bed.

"It did but I must admit I'm a little bit worried about Ginny. How is she supposed to raise a child while there's a war raging?"

"She stays at the castle and tries to stay out of it. That's the only thing I can see working."

"Hopefully she'll agree…she's not one to stay out of a fight. She'll read the journals in the morning and everything will change even more for her. I hope she can handle it all."

"Neville has to leave tomorrow in order to get on with the recruiting, Luna already left, Blaise and Theo have calmed down and accepted what's happening… if everything continues to move along this smoothly we'll be laughing."

"I'm nervous about your parents' reactions about the journals."

"Me too," Draco admitted, holding Hermione a little bit tighter. "I didn't expect Theo's reaction to be so negative; it was surprising. Hopefully my parents can take it well, they've been involved in this a lot longer than anyone else."

"I guess we wait and see," Hermione mumbled, trying to fight off sleep. "I need to start brewing potions tomorrow."

"I'll help," Draco assured her, picturing all the supplies he'd bought. They'd be able to make hundreds.

"You'd better," she managed to get out before falling asleep.

Draco chuckled and pressed a kiss to her temple before he followed her into a deep sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N- Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed this story! It's so amazing to see the great feedback and also thanks to Nina for betaing this!**

 **Chapter Twenty Five**

Neville had pulled through and by the time his nine days were up, he'd managed to recruit almost one hundred Order members. It seemed as though the members were looking for something new to come along and take them away from the place. Dumbledore had died on Neville's second day of recruitment and from that point, the Order fell to shambles.

Hermione was absolutely shocked that Bill, Charlie and Fred Weasley had agreed to join them after everything that Hermione and Draco had done in the past. Neville had told them that everything made sense and it wasn't really the Malfoys who had killed their brother. While it was their bodies, it wasn't really their actions. The brothers demanded to see proof; once Hermione had shown them her memories of everything that had taken place compared to what she thought was actually happening, they accepted it and moved into the castle.

Hogwarts was their headquarters. As new members continued to move into the castle Hermione was forced to reinstate the wards to keep Tom out. She couldn't leave the castle and everyone living there vulnerable for a surprise visit from Tom himself.

In addition to the Weasley brothers, Neville had also managed to bring over Dean Thomas, Oliver Wood – someone Hermione wasn't even aware was in the Order, Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan and at least twenty other former Gryffindor students Hermione knew from her time at school.

He'd brought Zacharias Smith, Wayne Hopkins, Benjamin McEwan, Annabel Entswhistle and many more Hufflepuffs who were beyond Hermione's time at school – both older and younger students.

Neville hadn't managed to rope in many Ravenclaws – that had been mostly Luna's doing as most of them had managed to remain neutral throughout the nonsensical war. She'd convinced Felicity Eastchurch, Marcus Belby, Cho Chang, Isobel MacDougal, Sue Li and a handful of students that Hermione and Draco both recognized from school.

Both Luna and Neville had had the foresight to ask those who were joining them to bring along their elves, so they now had at least thirty elves there to help take care of the castle. Hermione was doubly happy, as this meant added protection for the elves.

Plenty of adults had made the switch as well, and Hermione was as shocked and delighted to see most of them as they were nervous and wary to see her, Draco, and their close friends. Everyone seemed willing to listen to them, though, and that was really all that they could ask for.

Narcissa and Lucius took the information they'd learned from the journals better than either Draco or Hermione had expected. Lucius immediately knew that he'd need to return to his post and pretend that nothing had happened – he needed to secure his new job as Minister and try to stall Tom on passing any outrageous laws until they could deal with the monster.

Narcissa had decided to stay behind at the castle and Lucius was going back with the story that she just wanted to spend some time with her son and daughter-in-law before the next major skirmish or raid took them into danger.

Draco had told Lucius to flee the moment Tom realized he wasn't able to get onto the castle grounds, so he wasn't murdered on the spot for treason. Lucius said he'd do his best to keep Tom distracted without giving his younger members too much thought – he was also going to keep his eye out for young couples and send them Draco's way so they could perform the bonding ceremony and help them open their eyes.

Hermione, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Ginny, Neville and Luna were all standing on the raised dais of the Great Hall, hundreds of eyes watching their every move as they explained everything they could to the group of people in order for them to understand why everything was changing.

"I want to be able to show everyone our memories but I'm afraid I haven't quite figured out how to project them the way I want to so everyone can view them at once instead of a couple people at a time. That would just take way too long and we're running out of time."

"Hermione?" she heard a voice call from the back. She squinted her eyes and the owner of the voice waved her hand in the air.

"Isobel! Hi!"

"I think I know how to project the memories. I've been working on it for a few months for the Order and only just cracked it a few days ago."

"Wonderful! Would you mind coming up here and helping?"

Isobel MacDougal made her way through the crowd and joined her at the top of the dais. She conjured a device from thin air that had a funnel on the top and strange substance in the middle. "You pour the memories into this funnel and this slows it down so it's not pouring right through onto the ground," she explained, pointing to each piece of the device as she spoke about it. "This part that looks like a large water droplet is actually the projection piece – it will play everything out on the opposite wall so everyone can watch the memories at once."

"Wicked," Draco breathed, looking at the contraption in awe.

Isobel summoned a large white sheet and stuck it to the opposite wall with a strong sticking charm.

"Everyone may want to take a seat," Hermione called out to the crowd. "There are quite a few memories to review and it will take a while!"

The hall filled with noise as the benches were pulled from beneath the tables below them, they were scraped against the stone floor loudly as everyone settled in to watch the memories.

/

"Everyone believes us," Draco said in awe after their meeting was concluded. Hermione had never expected the entire group of people to believe their story and help them out, but it seemed that everyone wanted so badly to believe in something good that it wasn't too hard to transition their feelings.

Especially after everyone witnessed her rape by Ron Weasley and her subsequent treatment by Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.

She'd been shocked and moved to tears as, over the next day, friends had approached to offer sympathy, support, or vow vengeance. Although Draco hadn't cried, of course, she knew he was just as appreciative. He squeezed her hand as she sat down at the table and pushed in her chair. She looked around the faces of those she and Draco considered their 'Inner Council,' and had a sudden thought that took her breath away.

"Neville," Hermione said, swivelling in her seat toward her friend, "where's Harry?"

Draco's eyebrows drew together upon hearing those words, wondering why his wife was worried about that stupid wanker.

"I have no idea. I haven't seen him for almost a week."

"He wasn't at headquarters of the Order while you were recruiting people?"

"No. He left after Dumbledore died, immediately after, and no one has seen him since. I know you know that our headquarters changed from Grimmauld Place but Harry was stationed with Dumbledore in one of the safehouses. I guess a few of our elders received a patronus from Harry and rushed to their house but Harry was already gone and Dumbledore was already dead when they arrived."

Hermione turned and faced Draco head on.

"That's weird," she said, one of her eyebrows lifting slightly. "What do you think happened?" she asked Neville, turning to him again.

"I think Dumbledore died and Harry freaked out and left."

"Maybe," Hermione said quietly. Draco could tell that Hermione's brain was working at a million miles a minute but he had no idea what she was thinking about.

"I want to speak to him," she said suddenly.

"No, Hermione," Draco said immediately. He'd never let her go anywhere near that twisted fucker if he had anything to do with it. "You know what he's said and done to you in the past – you know what Neville and Ginny overheard him saying about you – there's no way."

"I need to, Draco. Something has happened. No one has seen him or heard from him in over a week and regardless what you or I feel about him… he's the one that needs to end this."

"Let us talk to him then, Hermione," Theo said after a moment. He didn't want his friend going anywhere near Harry Potter either.

"I need to be there," she insisted, getting annoyed. She wasn't some dainty little girl who couldn't take care of herself. "You think anything is going to go smoothly if you guys go there without me?! He might hate me, but at least he used to consider me a friend."

"Let me go, then," Neville said, jumping in.

"No," Hermione almost yelled. "I need to be there! I'm going, and that's that. We need Harry on our side. We need him to finish this. I know everyone is disgusted with him right now, but we still need him here."

Draco sighed. "It's true that if we want to finish this then we need Potter to do the honours. We've looked into the prophecy as best as we could from here and it does seem as though only one can kill the other. Tom lied to his Death Eaters about everything that happened when Potter was a baby so we had no idea about the fact that it would have to come down to Tom and Potter but… yeah. We need the tosser."

"We do," Hermione said. "I know I can help to get him to join us, Draco! Let's just you and I go, I'm sure they'll be able to hold the castle down for a day or two while we're gone."

"You don't even know where he's gone to," Blaise pointed out. "He could be anywhere."

"He could be, but I also know Harry better than anyone else here and he's already been run out of Grimmauld Place and his back-up safe house. Harry likes familiarity and I know for a fact that his aunt and uncle have not returned to their house… or hadn't by the time I left the Order."

"They haven't returned," Neville filled in. "They were given a rather nice house when the Order moved them all those years ago, and have refused to leave because they feel much more prestigious than they did in their own home. The Order figured it wasn't worth the argument with Voldemort still out there wreaking havoc on everything, so they let them stay. Their old house has been empty for years."

"That's where Harry is," Hermione said knowingly.

Draco puffed out a breath before finally standing up and pulling his wife with him.

"It's late," he said suddenly. "Hermione and I will leave first thing in the morning so it's up to you five to keep things normal until we return – hopefully with Potter."

"Hermione, can I talk to you quickly?" Ginny asked in a small voice.

Hermione nodded and she and Ginny left the hall first, arm in arm.

"I spoke to my brothers today and they told me that they're going to go look for my parents and convince them to join us. We all feel that once they see the memories you've provided that they won't hold anything against you – they can't, not after seeing everything that's happened."

"That's nice, Gin," Hermione answered, because she really didn't know what the hell the girl wanted her to say. She truly couldn't give a shit if Molly and Arthur Weasley believed her or not – they'd still managed to raise a rapist and that was really all she needed to know.

"I wanted to actually ask you to please not mention anything about me to Harry while you were gone. I'm not embarrassed about being married to Neville or about my baby but I don't think it'll do you any favours to bring me up before you get him here."

"He's angry with you," Hermione guessed.

"He's been angry with me for years, Hermione. He wanted me to be the perfect little girlfriend who would sit docilely by his side while he commanded and barked orders at everyone, myself included, without any questions or disagreements. I'm not that person and he didn't enjoy the fact that he couldn't change me – that's one of the reasons I always strayed to Neville. He treated me fairly. Kindly. After Harry really started to change, he just treated me worse and worse and I took it without a word because I was scared – that's why I joined Tom, as well. Just… don't bring me up and everything might go alright for you."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said, nodding.

"Good luck," the redhead said as she departed, turning to head for her own quarters.

/

"I've been thinking about our magic," Hermione started tentatively as she showered with her husband. He passed her her favourite shampoo bottle before giving her a small, knowing smile.

"Is this going to explain why you spent four days of Neville's recruitment buried in the library except for meal times? I wasn't the only one to notice, by the way. My mum was so bored of sitting around with me and the guys that she started to 'explore' Hogwarts."

"I know you remember during our ceremony that the Justice had reacted to my magic being previously bound, so I thought I'd finally look into it with my free time while waiting for all the recruitments to arrive."

Draco nodded, watching her closely with slightly narrowed eyes. He started soaping up while waiting impatiently to hear what she had to say about it, because he was incredibly curious. Hermione rinsed her hair quickly and stepped out of the spray before taking a deep breath and starting to explain what she'd learned.

"I was looking over books about binding magic and I figured out exactly which books I needed because I knew what it felt like when my bindings broke – it turns out that Dumbledore, I'm assuming, thought it was prudent to bind my magic so no one would understand how much magic I actually possessed. I then started searching for reasons why he'd want to do that to me, reasons besides the obvious…because Dumbledore never did anything for obvious reasons. I think I can trace people, Draco. I know this sounds insane but when I was younger I always knew where my friends were and what they were doing. If I was worried about them, and let's be honest, I was worried about Harry all the time because he's so fucking reckless, I could hone in on him and just … I could feel where he was."

Draco didn't say anything but his left eyebrow had ascended ever so slightly before he stepped into the spray of water and rinsed all the soap from his body. Hermione had to will herself to pay attention to her train of thought instead of becoming distracted by her ridiculously hot husband.

"One time I couldn't find Harry and I was so confused, I think we were just about finished our sixth year. I had a feeling he was in a broom closet near the Great Hall so I opened it quickly without knocking – imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Harry snogging Ginny. Lord, it was so fucking embarrassing for all of us."

Hermione was smiling widely at the memory and Draco felt something rear in his chest – jealousy. He had no good memories with her from when they were children, and the fact that other people did made him feel jealous and angry. He switched sides with Hermione quickly so she could rinse off her own body before he stepped from the shower and yanked the curtain closed behind him, unable to quell the annoying feelings in his chest.

"Don't be upset, Draco. You get me for the rest of our lives and we'll make our own happy memories to look back on," she said knowingly, turning off the water and stepping out behind him.

 _Fucking bond_ , he thought to himself as he handed her a towel and waited for her to continue.

"Anyway, when we went to Grimmauld Place in order to let Tom through the wards I knew the house was empty as soon as the wards broke. Why would I know that? I could just feel it."

"Why would Dumbledore want to bind that, though?"

"I think he didn't want me to be able to track my friends and see what it was they were doing. What they were actually doing. I think he wanted my magic bound because if it wasn't I would have been able to apparate directly to my friends' sides without even a second thought and he didn't want me to know the full truth about everything. Yes, Tom is an awful, despicable man, but I think Dumbledore was too – he had his own agenda and he wanted everyone to follow it. Imagine the problems that would have occurred if I'd apparated to Harry's side while they were raiding an innocent family's house? He kept me in the dark about that for years, Draco."

"He was afraid of your power and what you'd be able to do with it. He knew you and Potter were close and probably figured if you knew what was happening you'd be able to convince Potter that what he was doing was wrong. He bound your magic and put a wedge between the two of you so he wouldn't have to worry about the risk you'd pose to his entire plan."

"I still don't feel like I understand his plan."

"Power," Draco said, and Hermione mouthed the word along with him as she started to brush out her hair in the mirror.

"I know. Power. But why?!"

"That's all some people are concerned with, love. Power and gold. Sometimes there isn't another valid explanation about it."

Hermione sighed.

"I feel like it will make a lot more sense once we find Harry."

"Tomorrow," Draco said, throwing his towel at the hamper in the corner of the bathroom before heading for bed.

/

"You have to stay civil and calm if he's there, Draco. Fighting with Harry and riling him up won't do us any favours at this point," Hermione said while they were preparing to apparate away from Hogwarts.

"I know that," Draco said, holding his hand out for her to take. "What's the address again?"

"Number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey," Hermione recited. Neville had told her the address the evening before and she'd been saying it in her head ever since just to make sure she got it right.

She moved forward warily and fit her hand into his, taking a deep breath for the confrontation that was about to happen.

They materialized in a tidy lane, the houses all matched and the yards were all covered in a small blanket of untouched snow. There were obviously no children playing in the yards in this neighbourhood.

"Number four," Draco said, gesturing to the neat house Harry had grown up in.

Hermione moved forward slowly with Draco's hand clenched tightly around hers. They could feel the wards before they got too close but Hermione worked her fingers into the air, pulling the magic apart – their powers were really coming through. She didn't want to dismantle the wards completely, but by instinct she pruned them back enough for her and Draco to slip through.

"One person is inside," she whispered to her husband as soon as they were through the wards. "I'm pretty sure it's Harry."

"Alone?" Draco asked, suddenly feeling uneasy. Why would Potter be alone? Yes, he'd fled his safe house after Dumbledore died and hadn't spoken to any Order members that they were aware of since but Draco had never expected him to be completely alone.

"Feels like it. He doesn't seem to be moving so let's try to sneak in."

Draco approached the door first and broke the locking spell when his hand touched the handle. They were getting good at controlling their magic, but he was still surprised by their strength in situations like this. He'd never been able to cancel a locking spell just by touching a door handle before. He went in first, warily, with Hermione close on his heels as they cased the house. Neither of them had been there before so they had no idea what the layout was – they searched the entire lower level on stealthy feet.

"Must be upstairs," Hermione whispered, annoyed that her tracking magic wasn't able to pinpoint exact locations.

Draco looked at the wooden stairs and cast a silencing charm before they began their assent. It wouldn't do to have the stairs creak and give them away when they'd already made it so far without Potter knowing.

Hermione slowly pushed open a bedroom door and the couple could see the tell-tale messy haired head laying on a pillow in the single bed. Potter's left leg was outside the blankets, wrapped on top of it as though it was too hot to have both legs covered. His owl's cage was sitting on a table near the window, which was cracked slightly but not enough for Hedwig to get in or out.

Hermione ushered Draco inside before closing the door softly behind them. Harry stirred slightly in his sleep and Draco thought maybe he could subconsciously smell them – they would carry a scent that he wouldn't be used to.

Hermione laid her wand on the side table by Potter's face softly before quickly unsnapping her cloak and discarding it on the foot of the bed purposely – Potter twitched again. She turned to Draco and gestured for him to do the same.

They'd talked about it and knew they wanted to pose the smallest threat possible, so discarding their cloaks and robes and wearing regular, tight fitting clothes while their wands were obviously not on their bodies seemed to be the only way to go.

The safest way to go.

Draco tossed his cloak on top of Hermione's, the catch hitting Potter harshly on the knee. He couldn't help the smirk that graced his features when he heard the small sound. Potter mumbled in his sleep and reached down to his knee, confused. Draco rolled his eyes.

This was the supposed saviour of their world? Lord help them.

He turned to Hermione and almost laughed to see her checking him out in his tight fitted shirt. Her cheeks reddened and she turned away abruptly, crossing her arms and staring at Harry, waiting for him to wake up.

"Potter!" Draco yelled, tired of waiting.

The messy haired man jumped up immediately, his eyes wide and his mouth opened in a silent scream. His hand was scrabbling around underneath his pillow fervently before he seemed to give up and sighed.

"Kill me then," he said. "My wand is in the bathroom because I'm an idiot and forgot it there when I went earlier. I thought my house was safe."


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N- Thank you to everyone who has left a review, favourited or followed this story! I'm pleased to announce that I'm pretty much done writing it now (just editing before I send it to my beta) and that's it! Turns out it's 33 chapters, which is like 20 chapters longer than anything I've ever written! Also a big thank you to Nina, Ku'uipo, KomeKozzy425 and a big congrats to Strotz for pushing a new human out of her vagina! You're all amazing!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Twenty Six**

"We aren't here to kill you, Harry," Hermione assured the messy-haired man who was sprawled on a bed before her, but Draco tensed instantly when he saw the other wizard blatantly check out his wife. "Our wands are right there and we have no other weapons on us."

"Why the fuck are you here then?" Potter asked, his hand reaching out and picking up their wands in one fluid motion.

"We need to speak to you about the outcome of this war."

"You chose your side, Hermione, now fuck off back to your Manor and Voldemort. I need to take a piss and you better be gone when I get back. If you aren't gone then I'll be the one to kill you."

"Harry, there's no need…"

"You killed Tonks!" he screamed suddenly. "I know you did and you probably killed Remus too! I know your fucking disgrace of a husband was the one to kill Ernie Macmillan and don't even get me started about what happened at the fucking Hogwarts takeover! And Dumbledore! Who killed Dumbledore?!"

Harry was coming apart at the seams and Hermione was repulsed by the similarity to the last time he'd screamed at her. She took a deep breath and grasped Draco's hand. She just needed to explain to Harry that those things weren't done of their own free will. If he understood that, then maybe he'd be willing to listen to them.

"We were coerced," she started, taking a step closer. "There's more going on than you understand, Harry, and we'd really like to be able to explain it to you."

Harry snorted. "Fuck off Hermione. If you aren't here to kill me then get the fuck out of my sight before I kill you."

"Please just listen to me, Harry."

"No! There is nothing you could say to me that would make up for everything you've done."

"Malevolent Mixture, Chelidonium Miniscula, and Potion No. 28. Oh, let's not forget about those lovely doses of Amortentia my wife and I – and everyone else, as far as we know, have been subjected to," Draco cut in calmly in his deep voice.

Hermione watched as Harry brushed Draco's words aside with a sweep of his hand.

"That means nothing to me," he stated, starting to stand from the bed. "Nothing at all and I'm serious, if you aren't gone in two fucking minutes then I'll kill you. I don't know how you got in here but I'll be making sure to strengthen my wards the second you leave so I don't have to set my eyes on scum like you ever again unless you're on the opposite end of my wand."

"It means we've been poisoned and led around by our fucking noses for far too long, Potter," Draco snarled, clearly holding himself back from pushing the dark haired man backward. He wasn't about to be judged by the likes of Harry fucking Potter.

Harry's eyes landed on Hermione's earnest ones seconds before he sat back down heavily and dropped his head into his hands, surprising both Hermione and Draco as small sobs started gasping from his chest.

"I'm tired," he claimed between breaths. "I'm so tired of this."

"We are too," Draco agreed. "So fucking tired. Which is why we're here."

"I want this to end, Hermione," Harry said, ignoring Draco's words. "I've lost too many people. Far too many, I even lost myself for a while there and now I don't know what to do to fix things. I'm sorry for everything I did to you… the curse and… just everything. I can't do this anymore. I can't be the one holding the war and the wizarding world on my shoulders. I don't know who anyone is anymore and I'm worried that I don't truly know what's right anymore, either."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked softly, crouching down in front of Harry so they were on the same level.

"Ginny – she's been weird for months on end and I don't know what's going on with her. Ron… I don't know who he is anymore. He's on a dark path that I was following him down but once Dumbledore died it was like I suddenly woke up and realized who I had become and what I was doing. Everything was wrong, Hermione. I've been leading people down the wrong path for so long that I don't think I'll be able to lead them away from it. You left us. You left us and the next thing I fucking know you're a marked Death Eater who is marrying Malfoy and trying to coerce youngsters into joining the Dark."

"I made mistakes, Harry. I won't apologize for joining Tom and I won't apologize for marrying Draco. I would never have joined him if Ron – and you – hadn't attacked me, if I hadn't been imprisoned for years, neglected and ignored. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for Draco and I truly do love him, Harry. He was telling the truth about the poisons and potions we've been subjected to and our bonding vows are what caused our bodies to override everything that Tom had done to us. We know the truth now and we don't want him to win."

"You aren't with Voldemort anymore?" Harry asked, his head snapping up and taking in both Hermione and Draco closely.

"Not for all intents and purposes. He doesn't know we're no longer supporting him yet but that's because we have a few things to get into place before he finds out. This is one of those things. We're also trying to save as many poisoned and potioned Death Eaters as we can before he realizes we aren't part of his team anymore."

"So tell them and get them out of there," Harry said, shrugging. "Then they'll know and can help you bring him down from the inside."

"It doesn't work that way," Draco snapped. "When you agree to follow Tom Riddle you take a vow and if that vow is broken you die immediately. If they were to know the truth then they'd be doubting the cause and would be thinking about defecting, obviously, because no one can know the truth about what's happened and not consider defecting, and that right there would kill them."

Harry let out a low whistle and sat back slightly, shocked by what he'd just been told. "Your binding vows were able to get around that?"

"Yes," they answered in unison before smiling at each other softly and clasping hands.

"I need proof, Hermione," Harry said, staring at the married couple. "Memories. Let me see your memories."

Draco glared but Hermione nodded immediately.

"Yes, Harry. You can see specific memories."

"From both of you," He said pointedly, looking at only Draco. The blond gave a stiff nod and Harry stepped from his bed and rummaged around in a small wardrobe, pulling out a small pensieve. He turned toward them and cautiously handed their wands back, looking like he was sure to regret it within seconds.

"I'm going to get my wand. You two, start dumping memories."

/

Harry was standing beside the pensieve but hadn't made a single move to show that he was willing to dive in.

"What are you waiting for?" Draco growled, growing impatient with the other man. "You told us you wanted to see the relevant memories, so there they are. Get the fuck in there and watch!"

"Draco," Hermione started, her small hand reaching out to touch him gently on the arm before she turned to her former friend. Harry was still staring at the pensieve, he hadn't even turned to yell back at Draco after his outburst, which in itself was surprising. "You need to see them, Harry."

Harry nodded slowly before taking a deep breath and bending low over the shimmering bowl. He disappeared in the next moment and Hermione turned to Draco immediately.

"I included the memory of Ron raping me," she said, her chin held high in defiance.

"I kind of expected you to," Draco admitted as he reached a gentle hand out to cup her cheek. "I know you showed everyone else but I am a little surprised you'd want Potter to see that…"

"He needed to see it, Draco. He didn't believe me, attacked me, called me a liar and still seems doubtful. He needed to see it."

Draco huffed out a breath and sat down on Harry's bed, pulling his wife gently into his lap as they stared at the pensieve on the desk.

Waiting.

/

Harry came tumbling out of the pensieve after what felt like hours but was really only about one. He was breathing as though he'd just run for miles and it even looked like he was trembling a bit.

"Where did the journals come from?" he asked first, not bothering to stand up but instead shimmying around so that his back was against his dresser. His knees were bent and his forearms were resting on them, his hands shaking as he fought to get his breathing under control.

"My house elf," Draco answered, Hermione still sitting in his lap.

"Tiptop was ordered to hide the journals, but since he belongs to Draco he was able to sneak them to us without too much effort."

"They're genuine?"

"Of course they're fucking genuine! If they weren't, we wouldn't be here." Hermione was getting tired of this game. He was the one who'd ill-treated _her_ ; how dare he act a martyr?

They sat in silence for a few moments before Harry finally looked up and met Hermione's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice low and cracking slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I don't know what my problem was but I know you, Hermione, and I know you well enough that I should have believed you immediately – you'd never make something like that up."

Hermione shrugged like it didn't matter but Draco knew it did. It mattered to her more than she'd ever want Harry to know because she'd been so hurt by that betrayal.

"Ron… Ron isn't himself."

"Ron has shown his true colours," Hermione snapped, her face turning away from Harry so her hair would hide her from his view. Draco knew that defence mechanism only too well.

"So what now?" Harry asked, and Draco didn't dare get his hopes up. They needed Potter to believe them, listen to them and understand, but he had no idea how to go about telling him everything he needed to know. He figured they should ease him into it.

Hermione had other ideas.

"I think you're a horcrux, Harry, if everything Dumbledore told us about the prophecy is true. If Tom attacked you that night, an innocent child, and his spell reverberated onto himself… it was the killing curse. He made his horcruxes by killing. I think that when he essentially killed himself, condemned himself to life bodiless for years, that he unknowingly created a horcrux that transferred itself to you."

Harry looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Think about your scar, Harry! It allows you to do things that you just shouldn't be able to and we know that Tom transferred some of his powers to you – there's no other reason that you should have been able to speak parseltongue at twelve without even knowing what it was, knowing you were doing it. I studied parseltongue for months and have just a small grasp on the language."

Harry swallowed hard, his adams apple bobbing in the afternoon light that was streaming in through his bedroom window.

"So if I'm a horcrux… I mean sometimes I get flashes of his moods at the strangest time and I could never figure it out. I'd be so angry for no reason whatsoever. Oh, fuck. If I'm a horcrux then what? I have to allow him to kill me? What about all the rest of them?"

"They've been taken care of," Draco answered quickly.

"They're destroyed?! Who destroyed them?"

"We did," Hermione said, her gaze flickering back to the blond behind her for a moment. There was something in that meeting of eyes that had Harry wondering about everything that had occurred while destroying the vile pieces of soul.

"Can I see?"

"I don't know, Harry…"

Draco was suddenly looking ashamed and Hermione had gripped his large hand tightly in her smaller one, squeezing it.

"I don't know if I can believe or trust that you did it, then."

Hermione swallowed and looked to her former friend sharply. "You can't be using that as an excuse about everything, Harry. We showed you a bunch of our memories and we need you to trust that we're telling the truth."

"Please let me see. I need to see it for myself, Hermione. I've been searching for them for years, too long now, really, and I need to see for myself that they're actually destroyed."

"If I show you these memories, Potter, I'm going to want to see some in return."

Harry was contemplating what Draco said, but he nodded after a moment of hesitation. He really didn't have anything to hide. "Fine."

"Do you remember what happened when you destroyed the Gaunt family ring?" Hermione asked suddenly, her eyes on Harry who was nodding. His eyes took on a guarded look and Draco thought he seemed to be having a hard time meeting Hermione's gaze. "Just keep that in mind while you're in these memories."

Hermione stood up and retrieved the pensieve from the desk, turning to Draco so he could take out the ones he'd had in there previously. Hermione was using her own wand to return the wispy strands into her head and then she pulled out a new one, letting it fall into the empty pensieve before turning and placing it back on the desk. She stepped back quickly once the stone landed on wood and wrung her hands together anxiously, waiting for Harry to stand up and enter the memory.

She was nervous about Harry getting to see the memory of what had happened between her and Draco in that cave. They'd shown everyone who had entered Hogwarts but for some reason allowing Harry to see it had her teeth on edge – he better not judge Draco for anything or she'd really lose it.

/

Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. They'd found them, they'd actually fucking found them and now that he'd seen that much he knew they'd destroyed them all, too.

He wasn't expecting to see the look of panic and fear on Draco's face as Hermione watched the first horcrux emulate her husband and say foul things to her – it was clear the blond no longer felt that way, maybe had never actually felt that way. Draco obviously didn't want Hermione to believe in anything the horcrux version of himself was saying.

Harry howled in outrage as Draco lunged at Hermione unexpectedly, taking her down onto the stone cave floor and hurting her so brutally. He wanted to rush forward and pull the fucking asshole off of his friend, but he knew that since this was just a memory there was nothing he could do but watch.

So he watched.

He watched Hermione scream and writhe beneath her husband before connecting with his arm and causing the venomous fang to go flying out of the blonds grip.

He watched as Draco sat back on his knees and lifted his hands toward his wife, holding her under the Cruciatus Curse and laughing through her cries.

He watched as the screams finally seemed to pierce whatever crazy fog Draco had been under, the man faltering for a moment before his eyes began to clear of the strange haze that had been clouding them only moments before.

He watched as Draco came to his senses and looked absolutely horrified about what he'd done. The blonde ruthlessly sliced the horcrux in two before rushing to his wife, who was sobbing in the fetal position on the cave floor.

Harry watched as Draco apologized and cried over what he'd done, explaining that he'd been under the illusion that Hermione was actually Ron – a man who deserved everything he'd done plus some.

Harry completely understood in that moment that if Draco ever came across Ron that he'd kill him brutally, and he honestly wasn't so sure if he would do anything to stop it. Not after seeing the true memory of what had been done to her at the hands of a man who was supposed to be her friend.

He also completely understood that Draco loved his friend more than he'd ever thought possible.

/

Harry came tumbling from the pensieve again, and this time it seemed like he wasn't sure if he should be happy or upset, so he tried to go for a mixture of the two.

"You really did it," he said, astounded even though he'd just seen it with his own eyes.

"Yes."

It seemed like he wanted to say more but was unsure how to go about it and Hermione really didn't want him to bring up the fact that he'd just watched Draco attack her.

"You really love her," he said, catching both Hermione and Draco by surprise. "I believe that you do. I have to admit that I was a little wary about the entire thing before I saw that memory but now I know it's the truth."

"Yes," Draco said, his voice rougher than usual. He gripped Hermione a little harder around the waist and his breath was hitting her neck somewhat faster than it had been moments ago, but that was the only sign that he was still utterly ashamed by his actions.

"You'll kill Ron," Harry said, and it wasn't a question.

"Without a doubt."

"I thought neither of you wanted to kill?"

"I'll make an exception," Draco growled. "That is one person I'll definitely make an exception for."

Harry nodded in understanding but didn't say anything more.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice hesitant but clear. "Who killed Vince and Greg?"

Draco breathed in sharply behind her, his arm tightening around her again as he waited for the words – the names – that he would be sure to inflict some damage on. He could feel Harry watching them both closely, picking up on the fact that they were upset about that more than anything else that had taken place recently.

"They were good men," Hermione added, her voice shaking. "They were so good to me, Harry. I miss them," she added, her voice cracking on the last word as two tears slid down her cheeks.

Draco, who was sitting behind her, reached up and thumbed each tear away slowly while looking in the opposite direction. Harry found the entire gesture to be endearing because it was so automatic – Draco didn't even have to look at her to know and Harry wasn't sure how Draco had understood where the tears on her face were before wiping them away.

"Well," Harry started, taking a deep breath before releasing it with a loud puff. "Ron did, to be honest."

"Only Ron?" Hermione asked, her voice higher than usual. Harry could tell that she was desperately trying to keep it together.

"Mundungus Fletcher, of all people, spotted them on the other side of the square. Goyle told us later that they'd been there for hours but a bee was buzzing around and apparently Crabbe was severely allergic?" Draco nodded. "He jumped away from one and gave away their position. We apprehended them immediately and questioned them relentlessly but they wouldn't give us anything so I ordered them to the cellar so we could try again after they sat down there with nothing for a few days. Ron… he snuck down there while everyone was sleeping and, according to him, they were goading him until he just couldn't take it anymore and apparently he just snapped."

Silence.

"I'm sorry," Harry said in a whisper.

Hermione broke first, her sobs making her body heave against Draco's as she covered her face with her hands.

"Is there somewhere we can be alone for a while?" Draco asked, and Harry could see that he and his wife just needed to be together. Harry nodded and gestured for them to follow, Draco lifted Hermione off of his lap and got to his feet, his wife still sobbing brokenly in front of him as he guided her down the hallway behind Harry.

"I guess I don't have to warn you to keep our visit here quiet?" Draco asked after he got Hermione sitting on the bed in the guest room.

"Of course not," Harry scoffed. "That wouldn't end well for anyone, at this point."

"I'll be putting up extra wards," Draco said, staring Harry directly in the eye. "Just as a precaution."

Harry nodded and backed out of the room slowly, watching as Draco dropped to his knees in front of his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist as hers went around his shoulders.

"They didn't deserve that," Hermione sobbed, and it was the last thing Harry heard as the door closed softly behind him.

 _Things are so fucked_ , he thought to himself as he dropped down into his own bed again.

/

"I want to see what happened with Dumbledore," Draco demanded of Harry a few hours later. They'd all napped and Hermione and Draco had mourned again, knowing it would never be over because they'd never get to see their friends again.

Knowing that Weasley was the one to desecrate his friends in the cellar of headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, while they were defenceless, put a whole new fire in Draco's veins. He'd never wanted to be a killer but had made an exception for the Weasel, an exception that he wasn't regretting in the least.

He was glad, in a somewhat morbid way, that it was Ronald Weasley. He really didn't want to become someone who would continually need to kill more people to be satisfied. One. One person he could deal with. Especially given who it was.

Hermione had tensed beside him after those words, waiting for Harry to blow up again because he was just so damn mad about what had occurred with his former headmaster. She was surprised when Harry just sighed and nodded, as though he'd expected nothing less.

"Can you at least tell me how he died?" Harry asked, looking tired despite the naps they'd all indulged in.

"He was using the philosopher's stone, Harry. All these years."

"What? But… he told us he destroyed it! He told everyone that he had!"

Hermione shrugged carelessly. "He lied."

Harry looked angry all over again. "So many lies," he said, but Hermione thought he was speaking to himself more than he was to her and her husband. "So many fucking lies from that man and I have no idea why."

"What other lies, Potter?"

"You'll see," he answered quietly. He seemed to be at war with himself whether to let them see the memory or not, but he'd promised to give them something in return for viewing them destroying the horcruxes.

Harry sighed again and stood up while reaching his wand to his temple. The silvery strand fell into the basin of the pensieve slowly while Hermione and Draco clenched hands and moved forward. This was something they both wanted to see, almost desperately. Maybe they'd be able to understand Albus Dumbledore and his lies better if they were able to witness what exactly happened while he lay on his deathbed.

"Let's do this," Draco whispered, gesturing to Hermione to enter the memories first.

/

 _They materialized behind Harry, who was standing in a dim hallway of a house that Hermione didn't recognize with a trembling hand held against his brow. He let out a breath and started making his way down the hallway towards a bedroom door at the end of the corridor._

 _"Harry," they heard a small, wheezy voice calling._

 _Harry opened the door and entered the room slowly, Draco and Hermione following him closely. Hermione gasped at the sight before her – Dumbledore was tiny! He was weak and frail, his hair thinned considerably and patchy on his somewhat bald head. His left eye was a milky white, the cataract covering it clearly obstructing his vision. He had dark age spots on his arms, hands and cheeks, the skin thin and wrinkled and looking as though it was hanging off his bones, he had no muscle whatsoever._

 _Dumbledore lifted his left hand to Harry, who reached out and took it between his own softly, and Hermione could clearly see a skin tear on the underside of his forearm – it looked awful and painful but she pushed away any guilt she felt toward the man._

 _He'd never looked so old. Hermione had to wonder if the swift age brought on by the theft of the Philosophers stone had been worse than it would have been if it had occurred naturally._

 _"I must tell you some things," the old man wheezed, gesturing toward a chair. Harry reluctantly let go of Dumbledore's hand, placing it upon the bedcovers gently, before he turned away and grabbed a wooden chair from the corner. He carried it to the bed and sat down heavily, sighing as his eyes landed on his former Headmaster._

 _"How are you feeling?"_

 _"Not so well, Harry, not so well. I fear I don't have much longer and there are things you need to know."_

 _"If it isn't anything important don't worry about it, Albus. You're weak and I'd rather you didn't waste your energy."_

 _"No, Harry," he answered, trying to retake control. "You need to know! You need to know that I haven't been entirely truthful with you these last few years. Oh, where to start, where to start?"_

 _"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking wary all of a sudden. Hermione had a feeling that he wasn't going to want to hear what Dumbledore wanted to say._

 _"I've been controlling you, Harry. I wanted you to win this war so badly that I placed you under a small variation of the Imperius Curse. It wasn't strong but it was still enough to sway you to do the things that I wanted you to do."_

 _"Stop it," Harry said, his hands on his cheeks as he stared at the floor. "I know that's a lie."_

 _"I went about things the wrong way. Attacking any Death Eaters we could find was my way of trying to eliminate them one by one, wittling down Voldemort's army slowly so he wouldn't have anyone following him. Telling the others that we were looking for Hermione was a good cover, for a while, but it was a lie."_

 _"Don't say that, it's not true." Harry growled, looking a little sweaty._

 _"I had Ronald Weasley and his little girlfriend Lavender Brown go to Australia," he started, and Hermione growled low in her throat as Draco gripped her arm tightly. "I sent them there to search for Hermione's parents as punishment for her leaving us – for joining Voldemort and his men – but I know now how wrong that was. She left because she was distraught and it wasn't my business to have her parents murdered like that…"_

 _"STOP!" Harry yelled, jumping to his feet and startling the old man before him. "Stop lying, please! You're weak and you're sick, and I'm worried about you, but this is all just inane ramblings!"_

 _"It's the truth, Harry. I've aged, but my mind is still greatly intact at this point. Not for much longer, I fear, though. I've done a lot of awful things but I need you to understand that I was doing it for you, Harry! I probably shouldn't have dismissed young Miss. Granger's claims as quickly as I did, knowing they were true, but I couldn't let her sway you at all from your mission. Ron was needed because he's cold and heartless and does things that need to be done, and when I realized that Hermione had already been in contact with Death Eaters I just… I couldn't let you speak to her. That's why I sent Ron to Australia to do what needed to be done."_

 _"You knew that… wait. Are you telling me that Ron did actually attack Hermione?"_

 _"I think you knew the truth, Harry."_

 _"I didn't!" Harry insisted, pacing in front of Dumbledore's bed. "I didn't know! Merlin, Albus, I love Hermione! I used to love Hermione, I don't know who she is anymore, but if I had known the truth I would have been there for her! She wouldn't be where she is right now…"_

 _"That's exactly why you couldn't be told! You couldn't be distracted from what we were doing, Harry. Hermione has a lot going on and if you knew any of it you would have been going out of your way to be with her, to protect her and then she would have been able to get back into your life and be close to you again. She would have realized you were Imperio'd and would have broken the spell, taking away the power and control over you that I needed."_

 _Harry kicked his chair across the room, it sailed directly through Draco and smashed against the wall behind him._

 _"Why would you have me under the Imperius curse?! Why would you hide the fact that Ron, someone I considered my best friend, raped my other best friend and left her for dead?! She tried to tell me that day, I remember her telling us by that pond and then… then you used your curse to control me and make me angry at her! Merlin, Albus! How could you make me kill all those people?! Treat my friends so badly… treat everyone like they were my own personal slaves… and Oh, my God, Hermione! She must truly hate me."_

 _Harry was disgusted, it was clear on his face. He kept glancing toward the door of the bedroom, looking like he wanted to make a quick getaway._

 _"I was paving the way for you so that you could take out Voldemort and his Death Eaters easily. Unfortunately this curse has gotten ahold of me before I could do everything I needed to do to ensure you an easy win. You're going to need to find the horcruxes and destroy them before you take out Voldemort, and it has to be you, Harry. No one else can do that part of the task."_

 _"We don't even know what they all are," Harry answered. "I'd ask what curse it is that's on you but I don't think I even want to know, at this point. Everything was a lie, Albus. Everything! Ron? What's going on with Ron?! Why would he do those things to Hermione and then agree to kill her parents?"_

 _"Ron is… I think Ron was always a little darker than he wanted to admit, Harry. The youngest boy in his family, always being compared to his older brothers and never quite living up. Then he had a younger sister come along, a sister that his parents wanted desperately and he was replaced as the youngest child as well. He needs validation, Harry. He wants people to see him as strong and fear him a little bit."_

 _"No," Harry answered. "He's not like that. I would have noticed."_

 _"You haven't noticed up until now, Harry, because of me. When I die and the curse is lifted from you, you'll see it immediately."_

 _"No," he said again, shaking his head adamantly. "I'm not cursed. You didn't curse me! You wouldn't do that! Ron wouldn't rape our best friend brutally before killing her parents! He isn't dark, Dumbledore! He isn't!"_

 _"Harry,"_

 _"NO!" he raged, his face red and the vein in his forehead pulsating dangerously. "You're lying! You're a liar! Just stop it!"_

 _"Harry," the old man tried again, his voice weak and feeble – even more so than when the first entered the room._

 _"Why are you lying to me!? Why are you doing this?!"_

 _"I'm sorry," Dumbledore answered in a whisper before his hand fell limp to his side. His open eyes were staring at the ceiling unblinkingly and his chest stopped moving._

 _Harry stopped in his tracks and stared, understanding immediately that his mentor had just died right before him. In the exact same instant Hermione could see Harry's eyes clearing somewhat, the curse lifting with Dumbledore's death. Harry seemed to feel the difference right away as well because he breathed a small sigh of relief before turning on his heel and slamming out of the room his former headmaster had just expired in._

 _Draco and Hermione shared a look before following Harry's quick, stiff strides down the hall. He slammed into a doorway at the opposite end of the corridor and Hermione could hear things smashing around in the room. Draco strode forward and peeked around the doorjamb._

 _"He's packing," he said in an answer to Hermione's unasked question._

 _She entered the room to see Harry throwing his belongings into his trunk hastily, taking great armfuls of things from the top of his dresser and dropping them unceremoniously into his luggage._

 _"Getting the fuck out of here," he mumbled to himself darkly. "Everything's a lie." He scrabbled around on the floor and began tossing shoes at his trunk, missing more than anything. "They can finish this themselves. I'm leaving."_

 _Draco turned to Hermione and gripped her arm tightly, pulling them both from the memory as Harry began ushering his owl into her cage._


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N- Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review this story and also to everyone who has followed and favourited! Sorry this chapter is a little late but I have been insanely busy - painted my whole house, got more work on my sleeve done and work, but I'm taking the time to post this because I'll be gone to a bachelorette party all weekend!**

 **Thanks to my beta, Nina, for going over this. I'm just waiting for chapters back from her and then I'm completely done this story! Also, if anyone knows how to code for livejournal fests and would like to code the prompt I've claimed please let me know because my beta's and I are at a complete loss how to do it.**

 **Please remember to review!**

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

"Ron killed my parents," Hermione said softly, disbelievingly, after she and her husband exited the pensieve. Draco was surprised that Dumbledore had chosen to reveal so much to Potter and he turned to Hermione, shocked to see that she wasn't crying. She was almost in a state of shock that just one person could cause so much destruction to one person's life – why was he doing it? What more did he want from her? He'd already taken so much.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Harry answered quietly, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I didn't know. I truly didn't."

Draco looked at Hermione and the rage distorting her features was enough to make him take a small step away.

"How could he do this?!" she almost screamed. "How could he allow these things to happen to me just because he wanted to be the most powerful wizard of our world?! He's a despicable man and he deserved what he got! He deserved to die but I wish it was more painful than it was."

"Hermione," Draco started, stepping closer to her as Harry seemed unsure what to say. "Ronald Weasley will get what's coming to him, I can promise you that much. I know Dumbledore was fucking horrible, and you know that I'm here for you about your parents, but we need to focus. We need to work on bringing Tom down because he's no better than that old man."

"I am going to fucking murder Ron Weasley," Hermione vowed, her angry eyes turning to Harry. "Is that the reason you're here alone, Harry? Did you just disappear after that memory?"

"Yes. I came here and put up my wards, which obviously aren't as strong as I'd like them to be, and haven't seen anyone from the Order since. I sent them a patronus about Dumbledore's death and left the house. I feel so betrayed."

"That I understand," Hermione said sharply, glaring at him.

"Me too," Draco added.

"How could we all have been stupid enough to have been controlled by curses and poisons for the last few years? By people we thought we could trust?" Harry asked, looking extremely tired.

"It's easy when there's magic involved, Harry," Hermione said, almost feeling bad for the man in front of her. If this was two years ago, she would have given him a comforting hug and assured him that she knew that he hadn't done those things of his own accord either, but it wasn't and she didn't. She turned to Draco and hugged him instead, tears in her eyes.

"I have to tell you something," Harry said out of the blue, his cheeks reddening. Draco and Hermione didn't answer him, just turned their eyes to him and waited in silence. "It's nothing major, but I feel guilty about this and I want you to know that it isn't my true feelings and I fear it was brought on by the curse Dumbledore had me under but… Hermione there was a point, after I saw the article about your engagement that I wanted…" his face was an ugly shade of puce now and his eyes had dropped to his hands, which were wringing together in his nervousness. Draco knew exactly where this was going.

The raven haired wizard let out a breath. "I was talking to Ron about the articles and I don't know what came over me, but I was so fucking angry and hurt and feeling completely betrayed and… well I was talking to Ron about how I… God, I told him I wanted to kill you, Hermione."

"Don't forget about how you wanted to rape her first, Potter, and kill her in front of me so I'd be hurt."

Hermione turned wide eyes to her husband, her mouth dropping open slightly. It took Draco about ten seconds to realize what he'd just done.

"How the fuck would you know that, Malfoy?" Harry was staring at him with accusing eyes, looking confused and embarrassed.

"We have our sources," Draco said quietly, kicking himself for what he'd just said. He was just so angry about that particular memory that he couldn't help but to make sure Harry admitted to everything he'd said. "We saw a memory. Back to the matter at hand, what you said was abhorrent, Potter, and it sure sounded like you knew everything Ron had done to my wife at that point in time."

"I didn't know," Harry insisted, but Hermione wasn't so sure. She remembered very clearly how Ron had been gloating that 'he'd already had her' and 'Harry didn't know what he was missing'. "If I knew at any point Dumbledore did something to make me forget it."

Hermione and Draco shared a look that clearly said they'd discuss it later and Harry looked like he was really regretting bringing it up.

"We need to decide what to do," Hermione said after a moment of awkward silence. "Dumbledore told you in that memory that you had to be the one to kill Tom, Harry, and that makes me think that my hunch is correct. You're a horcrux. Now are you willing to work with us or not?"

"I am," he said, nodding his head carefully. "And I'm sorry for my previous behaviour. It was wrong and I know that, and I'm sorry I had a part in you leaving to join Voldemort in the first place."

"Thank you," Hermione said stiffly, and then her stomach grumbled so loudly that Draco snickered quietly.

"Should we have a meal? Maybe just relax for the night and start planning tomorrow?"

"That sounds good," Hermione agreed with Harry, releasing a small breath. She just wanted to relax for a little while before shit really hit the fan.

"I'll cook," Harry offered, leading them down to the kitchen.

"Harry? We haven't told you everything yet."

"What more could there possibly be?"

Hermione took a seat at the small nook in the kitchen and turned to the dark haired wizard. "We've started a resistance group that's neither a part of the Order or Death Eaters. We've managed to get a few Death Eaters that we completely trust around the vow and a few friends have recruited Order members or neutrals to our side."

"Seriously?! How many?"

"A little over a hundred," Draco answered. "It's not much but we're still hoping for more Death Eaters to join us."

"A hundred," Harry breathed, shocked. "A hundred is a good starting point."

Harry turned away and started pulling out pans and checking his refrigerator for food.

"Harry?" Hermione asked again, her voice quiet. "Do you think you and I will ever be okay after all of this?"

Harry turned to her quickly, his heart pounding in his chest when he saw how sad she looked. "I don't think I'll be alive after this, Hermione."

"Don't say things like that," Hermione said automatically, even though they all knew he'd most likely die because of the horcrux living within him.

"I'm just being real, Hermione," he answered. "If I somehow manage to stay alive I hope you and I can move past everything and become close again, but I'm not going to make you any promises. I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight, though. We all have a lot to take in."

/

"I don't think I fully trust him," Draco said that night in the bedroom they were staying in. He'd made sure to ward their bedroom with everything he could think of to keep unwanted people out – including Potter. "He blatantly lied about knowing you'd been raped by Weasley and when we first got here he was checking you out hard."

"We need him, though," Hermione answered.

"Just keep an eye on him, Hermione, and I will too because I really don't trust him in that aspect."

"He needs to be the one to kill Tom and there's no way to get around that," she answered, pulling her shirt off over her head and throwing it on the floor. She turned to him and placed her hands on her hips, getting into full lecture mode. "Once we know he's dead we'll wait for the potions and poisons to deplete from the remaining Death Eater's systems and… then we'll go from there. I think we'll be able to ensure your father keeps his position as Minister since he's already working through the detox while holding the post but hopefully this will be dealt with before any major changes are made by Tom. I'd rather we commissioned the changes in the wizarding world's future…"

Draco grinned at her wolfishly, loving the idea of them being in power and deciding what happened with the wizarding world. They even owned Hogwarts, for fuck sake!

"I love you," he whispered, his fingertips reaching out and brushing across her bare stomach. "We have a backing already, people supporting us and willing to fight behind us and that will make it so much easier. I'm hoping for a least another two hundred so that we can hold our own against Tom's ranks, but once he's killed it'll be easier to convince everyone."

"Did I mention that Isobel is working out a way to transfer the journal writings into images to display in the sky? Once Tom is killed she, or someone anyway, will turn the machine on and all the remaining Death Eaters who haven't been helped before that will have to watch it and see everything for what it's really worth."

"You're ridiculously brilliant," Draco said, molding his hand to her hip.

"I can't wait for this to be done," she admitted, crawling onto his lap and straddling him. Draco couldn't help but to lower his face to her soft breasts, resting his cheek on them and rubbing his stubble along them slowly. Hermione shivered.

"Soon," he answered in a growl before pulling her down into a tender kiss.

/

"I'm not sure how good your reception is going to be," Hermione admitted to Harry the next morning before they were to apparate to Hogwarts.

"Has everyone seen your memories?"

"Yes. I had to show them to everyone so they'd understand everything that had happened."

Harry let out a breath and avoided both Hermione and Draco's eyes – he was clearly ashamed but Draco still didn't want to buy it. Potter may have been under a mild curse as well but Draco still figured he'd known way more about the things that had happened than he wanted to admit. Dumbledore made it clear that the Imperius curse he'd placed on Potter was modified and Draco had a sneaking suspicion that he was still aware of the things happening around him and that his emotions were probably still mostly controlled by himself.

"You'll just have to suck it up, Potter," Draco said rudely, unable to forgive him for the things he'd done.

"I know. It's not like I have never been persecuted before. Hell, I'm almost a master at it now."

"Let's go," Hermione said, reaching for her husband's hand. "We still have tons to get done and we're seriously running out of time. Meet us at the gates to the castle and we'll let you in, Harry."

Harry watched as the couple turned on the spot and apparated directly through his wards. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed, shocked by how strong the two of them were.

He sighed before closing his eyes and following them to the castle, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders once more.

/

Hermione opened the gates and ushered Draco and Harry through before slamming them tight behind her, locking them and making sure the wards were in place before they began trudging through the deep snow toward the entrance of the castle.

"Good to see they didn't burn the fucking place down while we were gone," Draco said, his mood deteriorating more with every step they took. He hated Harry Potter and he was not thrilled that the man was going to be staying at the castle with them – he didn't like the way he watched his wife and he certainly didn't want Hermione to rekindle a relationship with him.

"Yeah," Hermione said quietly, watching her husband closely as they struggled through the deep snow.

"Hermione! Draco!" they heard as they entered the large double doors. Harry had decided to wait a few minutes and try to slip in unnoticed because he knew no one would be happy to see him there – according to Hermione only a select few knew that they had left to fetch him.

"Hi," Hermione said, watching a few of her fellow Death Eaters run through the entrance hall and go into the Great Hall for breakfast. Her eyebrows rose as she turned her face toward her husband, who was staring at Justin Finch-Fletchley like he'd seen a ghost.

"What the hell?" Draco asked.

"Neville, what's going on?" Hermione asked as they moved farther into the hall and she spotted their friend heading toward them.

"I know you were only gone a day but so much has happened. Come in and grab some breakfast and I'll explain it to you. Theo and Blaise should already be in there – I just saw them heading down here a few minutes ago."

"Okay…" Draco said, pulling his wife into the Great Hall so they could get an explanation as to why there were already so many former Death Eaters roaming around.

Hermione hurried to the table where Blaise and Theo were sitting alone, clearly waiting for Neville to join them. Their two friends looked exhausted and Hermione raised an eyebrow as Draco leaned closer to them and asked if they were okay.

"Just tired," they'd answered vaguely, dark rings around their eyes. Theo was stifling a yawn behind a fist as he reached out and filled a mug with coffee.

"Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nightmares," Blaise groaned, rubbing his face with an open hand. "The worst nightmares I've ever experienced."

Hermione nodded sympathetically, completely understanding. She took a seat and pulled a plate of toast toward her before fixing her and Draco a cup of tea.

"If you want to talk about it I'm here – I understand what you're going through."

"Thanks," Blaise answered, dropping hand to his lap and looking at her with bleary eyes. "I might take you up on that."

"Where's Luna?" Hermione asked.

"Let me start at the beginning," Neville said, stirring some milk into his oatmeal. "Yesterday morning Narcissa had the idea that she should be visiting her friends who are married and urging them to bond. She took Luna with her and started their mission – they've already sent back at least fifty couples. I don't know how they're doing it so fast or how they're convincing everyone to get it done without any arguments but it's been going swimmingly. On top of that, Lucius has already sent back around twelve younger couples that have decided to get bonded."

"If Luna is with Narcissa then how are people being bonded at the castle?" Hermione asked while Draco nodded along beside her.

"Luna was able to swear in a few of our members so that they are now Justice's as well, so while she's been gone with Draco's mum there have still been bonding ceremonies happening here."

"Pansy?" Draco asked loudly, causing Hermione to snap her head up in the direction of the dark haired girl. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Hello, Draco. Hermione," she said, tipping her head in Hermione's direction. "I think the reason I'm here is pretty obvious," she stated, lifting a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Who? I mean, how? What's going on?" Draco asked, totally confused and turning toward Blaise and Theo with a raised eyebrow. They'd been quiet and yawning during Neville's story but the arrival of Pansy Parkinson brought new life to the men.

Theo burst out laughing, followed closely by Blaise. The two were sitting beside each other and were laughing so hard that they were leaning on each other for support.

"Your face," Theo gasped out. "That was priceless."

"I needed that laugh, mate," Blaise said, finally getting it together.

"Would you care to take a seat, Pansy?" Hermione asked politely, gesturing the free chair at the end of the table and ignoring her friends.

"Sure, let me just get my husband," she said, turning away and rushing off.

"Her husband," Draco said with a grimace. "Poor sod."

Pansy appeared promptly pulling Miles Bletchley along by the arm. He was a few years older than Draco in school but he wasn't surprised to see that Pansy had married a pureblood. Pansy sat down at the end of the table primly and spread a cloth napkin over her lap, reaching for a teacup while everyone stared at her in confusion.

"So, Pansy, how did you learn about us?"

"Oh, yes. Narcissa is such a dear, she came over to our manor with that crazy Lovegood girl and somehow convinced my parents to be bonded – she was gushing on and on about how wonderful it is and I suppose my mum was mostly just jealous about it and decided she wanted that too. My parents were bonded by that weird blonde and the next thing I know they're demanding I marry Miles. I tried to argue with them about it but they insisted that it was no different than an arranged marriage, which they were planning on doing for me from birth anyway and only didn't because the first war was raging."

"So that's it? My mum demanded your parents bond and then your parents insisted that you do it as well?"

"Pretty much," Pansy said with a shrug. "Afterward they showed us these strange journals and once Miles and I finished reading them… well we were obviously going to do anything we could to ensure we got out of there and lived."

She and her husband, Miles, shared a loving look that had Hermione smiling.

"Narcissa told us all to apparate to the Hogwarts gates after packing everything we wanted to take. It only took us a few minutes to get everything we needed together and leave Parkinson Manor with my parents. We arrived at the gates and Neville Longbottom was waiting just inside of them and it honestly seemed like he'd been sitting there for hours because he had all sorts of blankets and he had a table set up that had cups of hot chocolate, tea and coffee on it. It was like this strange little welcoming committee and he had a few other people with him who rushed to us after he'd opened the gates. Somehow they already knew we were bonded and they let us by, but I saw Justin Finch-Fletchly and Alicia Spinnet arrive just behind us. The girl – that one right there," Pansy gestured to Annabel Entswhistle, a Hufflepuff who'd arrived with Neville on the recruiting days. "She rushed forward and started the bonding ceremony as soon as they came through the gates. I almost jumped out of my skin when I noticed pages from the journal we had read flashing through the sky as though on repeat, and I noticed Justin and Alicia were watching them closely, but I was already too far away at that point to see their expressions."

Pansy finished her story with a small shrug and sipped at her tea daintily.

"So what, you're okay with the thought of muggleborns now?" Draco asked somewhat snarkily.

"You know I've had different feelings about Granger since they day my manor was attacked, Draco, and it wouldn't make any sense if they were all deemed as useless if you look at their track record –Hermione, muggleborn; Tom, half-blood; Dumbledore, half-blood; even Harry sodding Potter is a fucking half-blood, so if the four most powerful people I know, other than you Draco, aren't pureblood… how can we sit here and talk about how purebloods are the most powerful witches and wizards? It doesn't make sense!"

Hermione stared at Pansy for a moment in surprise, her mind whirring. "Professor McGonagall was a half-blood too, did you know?"

"I didn't know that, although so was Professor Snape."

"I knew that, and they were both powerful as well. I'd never noticed it before but that's very interesting, Pansy."

"When did you realize that?" Draco asked her, his eyes narrowed.

"I've been think about it ever since Hermione saved me at my manor… I guess once I was bonded and had gotten around the vow that it was safe to talk about."

Pansy turned to Hermione, her dark eyes serious as she took in the beauty in front of her. "I need to not only thank you for what you did to me, but I'd also like to apologize for everything I'd said and done as well – especially to your bedroom, that was completely low and uncalled for and I'm sincerely sorry."

"Wow," Hermione said, blinking in surprise. "Thank you, Pansy, that means a lot."

"I should be getting down to the gates," Neville said after a few moments of silence. "People will probably be arriving soon because Narcissa didn't want to be sending people in the middle of the night, but she said she'd probably try and send them between 8 A.M and 11 P.M."

"I'll come give you a hand, Neville," Hermione said. "As soon as I'm finished eating and have a quick shower I'll come down to help you out."

"Thank you, Hermione. I'll gather up my new justices and head down now."

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione asked in confusion as she watched Neville leave the Great Hall.

"Morning sickness," Blaise said as an explanation, grimacing at the very thought.

"So what happened with Potter?" Theo asked, breaking off a piece of toast and stuffing it into his mouth.

"He's here," Draco said, not looking impressed at all.

"Potter?!" Pansy spat suddenly, turning in her seat and giving Draco an incredulous stare. "What is that wanker doing here? You're okay with this?" she asked, turning her wide eyes to Hermione.

"We need him," Hermione said with a slight shrug. "It comes down to him and Tom in the end of it all so he needs to be here to help us. He seems pretty contrite about the things he's done in the past."

Draco scoffed loudly, attracting everyone's attention.

"He does," Hermione exclaimed. "He was being cursed too, Draco."

"I still don't like the way he looks at you," Draco countered, causing Blaise and Theo to sit up a little bit straighter.

"If he touches you…" Blaise started, looking downright menacing. "I swear to Merlin I'll kick the shit out of him."

"He's not going to do anything," Hermione said, brushing the comment away. "I'm going to shower and then go give Neville a hand, are you coming?" she asked, turning to her husband.

"To shower? Definitely," he said, unable to stop the grin on his face.

/

"Narcissa?" Bellatrix Lestrange asked as she opened the door to the humble home she owned with her husband. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Bella," the regal blonde woman said as she pushed her way into the house without waiting for an invitation. "How are you?"

"Who's this?" Bella asked, gesturing to Luna Lovegood. The girl was standing directly behind Narcissa with a crumpled piece of parchment and a sash in one hand and she seemed to be swatting at the back of Narcissa's dress while mumbling under her breath with the other.

"This is a young friend of mine, a neutral in the war who bonded me and Lucius."

Luna seemed to realize that the attention was on her as she straightened up and focused on the sisters in front of her.

"Hello," she said politely and Bella wanted to sneer at the dreamy tone of her voice.

"You were bonded?" Bella asked, her eyes widening slightly as she turned back to her fair sister.

"Yes," Narcissa answered with a slight inclination of her head. "It's really amazing, Bella, and Lucius and I both wanted to extend the offer to have you and Rodolphus bonded. We'll pay for the entire thing but it's been so amazing that we really wanted to take the opportunity to let you know how wonderful it's been for us."

"You want me to bond with Rodolphus?" Bella asked quietly, like she hadn't heard her sister properly the first time.

"That's right."

"No," Bellatrix answered, a slight snarl in her voice that had Narcissa leaning away momentarily.

"No?"

"I don't want to be bonded to Rodolphus, Narcissa."

"Oh. May I ask why?"

"I'm not the same as you, okay? I don't see myself with only Rodolphus for the rest of our lives – hell, it hasn't been only Rodolphus up until now and I don't see that changing in the future."

Narcissa's eyes widened in understanding.

"You've been cheating on Rodolphus?!"

Bellatrix laughed condescendingly.

"Our relationship is different than yours, Nariccsa, and we're both quite happy with the arrangements."

"I really think you should reconsider," Narcissa answered, stiffly. She needed her sister to bond to someone in order to get around the vow to Tom and she had been totally thrown by the information that her sister was in an open relationship. She couldn't even fathom how something like that had come to pass and could never imagine being in the same situation.

"There's nothing to reconsider, Narcissa."

"The bonding ceremony is relatively quick and painless and I really think you'd be happy if you did it," Narcissa tried again.

"I said no!" Bellatrix yelled, causing Narcissa and Luna to take a small step back. "Why are you pushing this? I already told you no and you keep going forward – you'll always be the same, won't you Narcissa? You just never know when to take the answer you've been given and leave. This reminds me of when we were younger and our parents decided to cut ties with Andromeda. You fought and fought and where did it get you? Just take my answer and leave."

Narcissa nodded her head toward her older sister once before turning to a surprised looking Luna. The pair of blonde's left the chilly entrance of the small house and emerged into the even colder outside air.

"The nargles were thick in there," the young blonde said softly.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips but made no comment to the younger blonde's choice of words. She heaved a small sigh because of her sister's actions and led Luna away from the house they had been basically kicked out of.

Luna was inspecting a piece of parchment that was clutched in her fingers and she turned to Narcissa with a knowing look in her eye. "The Luciano's are the next family."

"I'll side-along you," Narcissa said with a nod, reaching out to the strange girl beside her.

/

"Something strange happened to me today," Bellatrix started, turning away from her husband and toward their bed-mate with a strange gleam in her eye. "My sister stopped by and tried to convince me that Rodolphus and I needed to go through with a bonding ceremony. She was very adamant about it and I had to deny her a few times before she finally took my answer and left."

"Why would she care whether you and Rodolphus bonded or not?" Tom asked, standing from the bed and fastening his trousers.

"I'm not sure but she was really pushy about it."

"Bonding?" Tom asked again, but he seemed to be speaking more to himself than Bellatrix or Rodolphus. "Do you have any books about bonding ceremonies here?"

"No," Bellatrix answered immediately. "It's a thing of the past and until Draco and his mudblood bride were forced to do it I never knew anyone who had done it. It wasn't even popular when our parents were marrying. It's very old magic."

"Maybe there're books about it at Malfoy Manor," Tom said, pulling on his clothes more hastily before he turned to leave.

"Why does it matter?" Bellatrix asked, running a hand through her wild, dark tresses. "No one goes through with that ceremony anymore, although Narcissa did have a young girl with her who was supposedly able to perform it properly."

"She had a Justice with her?" Tom asked, completely surprised.

"Yes, a young girl who seemed to be somewhat mad. She kept muttering under her breath and batting Narcissa's clothes, but apparently she was able to do the ceremony; she even carried a binding scarf with her."

"This is unsettling," Tom said, his voice low.

"Sometimes ancient magic, especially the type that hasn't been used in hundreds of years, has ways of usurping things of the present," Rodolphus said out of the blue. He was out of bed and pulling clothes on as well, apparently intent on accompanying Tom to Malfoy Manor.

"Did you need our help researching?" Bellatrix asked, making her way to her pile of clothes as well. She had a distinct feeling she could remember someone once saying something about the old bonding ceremonies – something important, but she couldn't remember what it was.

"Three sets of eyes would be better than one," Tom sighed, lacing his boots.

Bellatrix watched him for a moment before flicking her wand. She was immediately clothed and she noticed that Tom did things the muggle way a lot of the time – it was almost like he used his wand as a second thought.

"Let's go, then."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N- Big thank you to my beta, Nina and my friend Komekozzy425 for all the help with this story and chapter! Only a few more to go and this story will be finished! My beta is going over the last few chapters right now, which is a little bit bittersweet for me, but seeing as how this is longest thing I've ever written I'm also somewhat glad that I'm finished it! I just hope I did it justice and once I know for sure how many chapters are left I'll let everyone know! Also a big thank you to all of you for your amazing support throughout this story, it warms my heart!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Twenty Eight**

"Is that who I think it is?"

"What's that bastard doing here?"

"How did he even get into the castle?"

Hermione was sitting at her table with her friends when she heard the whispers begin. She looked up sharply and saw Harry slinking into the hall, his hands balled into fists at his sides and his eyes narrowed, glancing around at everyone who was openly talking about him.

"I suppose we should at least make him feel somewhat wanted," Neville said, watching his former friend with a slight moue of disgust.

"He is our only hope for Tom's defeat," Hermione added with a nod of her head. "Draco, would you mind explaining to everyone that he's on our side now? I just don't have it in me this morning."

Draco narrowed his eyes at her for a moment as she broke a piece of toast into pieces and looked like she had something heavy on her mind, and he heaved a dramatic sigh but nodded at his wife. He got to his feet and climbed the stairs that led to the top of the dais. The hall quieted down quickly once people realized he was waiting to speak, and everyone had their full attention focused on the handsome man.

He cleared his throat and watched as Potter made his way through the hall toward Hermione – beating down the angry, possessive feeling that was threatening to claw its way out of his throat before he could continue.

"I'm sure everyone just saw Harry Potter arrive, and my wife and I feel like we should explain his presence, especially since you've all witnessed the memories that put him in a bad light. He's here to help us. I'm sure everyone has heard the rumour about Potter being the 'Chosen One' and I'm here to inform everyone that the rumours are true. He is the only person who can defeat Tom Riddle. Anyone can do damage and hurt or kill his followers, but the only person actually able to bring that bastard down is Harry Potter himself. While I'm sure that many of you have ill feelings toward the man, and believe me, I understand, you need to know that it's imperative to push those thoughts aside and embrace his presence here – it will only help us in the long run."

"What about his threats to rape and murder Hermione?!" someone called. Draco felt his anger spike for a moment before reigning control of himself.

"Let me be clear. We need Potter, but I'll be keeping a very close eye on him."

"You're just willing to let it go?" another person asked loudly, this time a female.

"No," Draco snarled, his emotions getting the better of him. "I'm not letting it go, I'm just opening my eyes and coming to terms with the fact that without Potter standing beside us we will never win. We will never be safe from the terrors that Tom Riddle could bring to us and my wife – a muggleborn – will be on the top of his list of people to murder. I understand – we all do – that working with Potter after the things he's done will be tough but it's something that needs to be done if you want any sort of hope in the world. If you don't want anything to do with him then please just avoid him at all costs and go about your daily business."

The hall filled with murmurs and Draco took that as his opportunity to get off the dais. He had only taken a couple steps toward his friends when his arm started burning painfully and the dimmed dining room of his family home flashed through his mind. He eyes widened and he scanned the room to see every marked Death Eater looking worried and clutching their arms and he was surprised by just how many there were – at least two hundred. He knew there were a lot but seeing them separated from everyone else in such a way really brought the number home.

Hermione stood from her chair, as did Blaise and Theo, and they started walking toward him.

"The Death Eaters have been summoned," Draco called after ascending the stairs to the dais again. "We shall all attend the meeting and see what it is that Tom wants from us – if anything happens apparate back here immediately. Hermione will not be opening the wards to admit you but we will make sure someone is stationed at the gates to allow you immediate entry after passing a simple test to see if you're being impersonated or not."

"I'll go now!" Neville called, standing from the table and bustling from the hall, Annabel ran out behind him, hot on his heels.

"Everyone get changed and off the grounds to apparate as soon as possible!"

Draco raised his wand and summoned both his and Hermione's Death Eater robes to where they stood in the Great Hall. He passed her the outfit and she pulled it on over her regular clothes quickly, looking around the hall with wide eyes and sincerely hoping that everyone would be able to make it to the Manor in a decent amount of time. She wished she could open the wards to allow everyone to apparate out but knew it was the worst thing she could do. She wouldn't allow Hogwarts to be vulnerable for even a second.

Blaise and Theo left the hall at a run, heading to their room so they could change into their Death Eaters robes, their masks clenched in slightly shaking hands as they ran back into the hall and straight at Draco and Hermione.

"We'll apparate you two out with us," Draco said, sending his wife a smile before gripping Blaise's arm in his hand. "See you a moment, love."

Hermione turned to Theo and looped their arms together at the elbow before turning on the spot and apparating away.

/

They waited in silence in the darkened dining room for all of the Death Eaters to show. Draco was gripping Hermione's hand tightly in his own and was doing everything in his power to push his nervousness aside – he did not have a great feeling about this meeting and he couldn't help but wonder where his parents were.

"What's taking everyone so long?" Tom asked darkly as his eyes roamed around the group of people – likely taking stock of who was taking longer than others.

No one answered and Draco watched as his Aunt Bellatrix and Uncle Rodolphus stood smugly at Tom's sides and surveyed the group with narrowed eyes. Draco felt a thrill of fear race up his spine and his hand spasmed around Hermione's momentarily when his aunt's eyes fell on him – she was watching him as though she knew his secret and he didn't like it one bit.

Lucius appeared after a few moments, full of apologies for being slower than usual but that he was held up in a political meeting and couldn't just leave at a moment's notice. Tom nodded his head at the man before Lucius approached his son.

"What are we doing here?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm not sure but something's definitely up. Tom looks more pissed off than usual and Bella and Rod keep giving me these creepy looks. Something bad has happened," Draco said before swallowing nervously. Hermione's hand tightened in his and he gave a small reassuring squeeze back before the final members managed to arrive – Justin Finch-Fletchley and Alicia Spinnet. The adults were the quickest to arrive and Draco could only hope that Tom thought it was because they were older and more responsible, which was true.

"Finally," Tom murmured, sounding annoyed. "Bella, please do the honours," he said waspishly, his eyes landing on Draco, Hermione and Lucius.

Hermione's hand started trembling as they watched Bellatrix smile before leaving the room quickly. They could hear her approaching the room again after a few moments and she seemed to be yelling at someone while strange metallic sounds preceded her into the room.

She thrust the door open and marched through stiffly, wrenching two blondes along behind her in chains and manacles.

Draco's eyes widened and fled to Tom before swinging back around to his mother. Her lip was cut and her cheek bruised. Her eyes were wide and reddened as though she'd been crying but she looked angry more than anything else.

"Fuck," Hermione whispered, and Draco turned to see her watching the two blonde women closely. Luna seemed to be watching things in the air that no one else could see but she looked to be mostly safe – Narcissa, on the other hand, looked furious.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lucius spluttered, confused beyond all recognition in that moment.

"Silence," Tom yelled, causing Lucius to take a step back. "This traitor and her little side kick know exactly why they've been captured and held in the dungeons."

"Traitor?" Lucius asked, stepping forward again and looking as though he was going to run forward and free Narcissa.

Bellatrix removed her wand and held it toward her brother-in-law threateningly.

"Don't take one more step," she snarled, causing Lucius to stop and take in his surroundings. Most of the Death Eaters present looked confused and intrigued by what was taking place but some of them carried knowing looks on their faces.

Draco felt sick to his stomach and sweatier than was strictly necessary. There was no way of knowing exactly what Tom knew and what he would do if he did know things they'd been hoping to keep secret. Hermione's hand was trembling badly in his own but he clenched onto it tighter and willed her to relax. It wouldn't do them any good to be looking any guiltier than they had to be.

"It came to my attention yesterday evening that two women have been knocking on doors the last few days and attempting to convince my Death Eaters to join in a traditional, old magic, bonding ceremony. When I learned about what was happening I asked myself why they'd do such a thing. I talked to Bellatrix to see what she knew about old bonding marriages and she informed me that she only knew of two people who had been bonded in such a way – two people who I forced into it in the first place."

Draco swallowed and watched as Tom's face turned toward him and his wife.

"Hermione Malfoy, please come forward."

Hermione paled a shade but removed her hand from Draco's and stepped forward bravely, holding her head high and trying to act as though nothing at all was wrong. She approached Tom and stopped a few feet away from him, standing tall and looking him in the eye.

"When I received no answers from Bella about old bonding ceremonies we decided to come to the Manor and do a little bit of our own research about them. Do you know what we learned, Hermione?" Tom asked in a silky voice, turning his attention to the witch in front of him.

"No, Sir, I don't," she said, her voice strong and sounding curious instead of terrified.

"I learned that if you're bonded in the old way, the ancient way that I had you and your traitor husband married, you'd be able to bypass any previous vows that you'd already committed to."

Hermione took a deep breath but continued watching Tom curiously. To anyone else watching it would seem that she had no idea what their leader was talking about and was waiting for him to continue his explanations but Draco could tell she was scared by the way her hands trembled – it was barely there but he was able to notice it.

He looked around the room and noticed that a lot of the members seemed to be wondering where this was going. He was sure they were wondering what sort of vows Hermione had managed to bypass because of their marriage and he could even pinpoint when people seemed to realize that they had all taken a vow in order to help Tom win the war.

"This didn't mean all that much to me, other than the vows you'd taken when you were sworn in as a Death Eater. It was when I began questioning elves, who have a large understanding of ancient magic, that I began to understand what had happened. The vows you two took to each other were able to break down everything else that I've done to ensure your passive support and it just so happens that when I found Narcissa and her little friend they were carrying those exact same vows with them. I searched and searched for my personal journals that I'd given to elves to be put away for safekeeping and haven't been able to find them anywhere. Those same elves have sworn up and down that they were secure, so that means that someone found them and stole them – stole them from me, Tom Riddle!"

Tom's eyes had darkened to a deep red and his fury was palpable. He gripped his wand tightly and turned to Luna in the blink of an eye, casting the Killing Curse before anyone could even protest.

Hermione screamed in horror as Luna fell and Narcissa covered her eyes and let out a small squeal of terror as she was pulled down roughly by the manacles joining the two blonde women's wrists. Narcissa uncovered her eyes and looked into the dull, lifeless ones of the girl below her and straightened herself up roughly, looking away as quickly as she could and trying to supress the tears threatening to spill over her lashes.

In the next second Tom turned to Hermione and cast a silent spell in her direction, the telltale red beam of the Cruciatus Curse missed her by mere centimeters when she dodged to the right. Draco let out a loud roar of fury as his wife dove to the ground seconds before the spell hit her and rushed forward to grab her. He had his wand clenched in his fingers and had no conscious thought of taking it out, but he pointed it at his mother and screamed "Relashio!" at the top of his voice. The beam of light hit the manacles and they shook for a moment before releasing her wrists. Lucius was already by her side when she stumbled away from Luna's lifeless body and looked around the room – fighting had broken out in earnest after those few moments had passed.

The room was in an uproar and Lucius summoned Luna's unused wand and thrust it into his wife's hand, screaming at her to get out. Narcissa looked at Lucius and lifted her chin fractionally, a silent denial to get out and save her own skin when there was a fight going on. She saw them approaching from the side with her peripheral vision and spun on her sister and brother-in-law angrily before blocking a spell that would have otherwise hit her directly in the chest.

Narcissa continued blocking hexes and curses that were barrelling at her from her own sister's wand. She didn't want to fight back and cause Bellatrix any pain – even after everything the other witch had put her through in the last twelve hours.

"Stupefy!" Narcissa called between hexes and watched in surprise as the spell slipped through the flickering shield Bellatrix was trying to erect and dropped her sister like a sack of flour.

"Bella!" Rodolphus, who was in an intense duel with Lucius, called out in surprise. He had no idea which spell Narcissa had used against her sister and it seemed to spur Rodolphus on but he was still no match for Lucius, who had fought until his brother-in-law was no longer moving.

Narcissa had spun around after stupefying her sister and searched for her son and daughter-in-law. She thought for a moment that they had left and went back to Hogwarts but then she saw Draco laying on the floor near the wall with a crying Hermione hovering over him. She swore and made her way forward, dodging and ducking ricocheting spells as she crossed the room quickly, her eyes taking in everything around her and also looking for Tom, who seemed to be missing completely.

The fighting was coming to a close as the people who had been staying at Hogwarts starting vanishing away, understanding their numbers alone were no match for the group that still followed Tom blindly.

"Take him, Hermione!" Narcissa called as she found herself in an unwilling battle with one of her oldest friends, Anwen Kemp. Narcissa was beginning to lose the battle as her friend cursed her, opening a large gash on her shoulder, but she continued fighting and decided that not using harmful spells was going to be her downfall.

"Defodio!" she yelled, shocked when her spell hit the woman in the throat and ripped a large chunk away. Blood was spilling too quickly and she understood immediately that she'd just killed the other woman, even if it took a few moments for her to die.

An arm wound around her waist tightly and turned on the spot, the familiar smell of her husband invading her person and causing her to relax. Lucius pulled her into the compression of apparation before Narcissa was able to see whether her son had made it out of their family home alive.

/

Draco ran to Hermione while releasing the chains that held his mother and helped her to her feet, his silver eyes never leaving Tom so he was able to keep his whereabouts in check. He could hear the yelling behind him and knew that a full-fledged battle had broken out in the mere seconds it took for him to get to his wife. Tom's red eyes were narrowed in absolute fury and Draco gripped Hermione's hand and pulled her to feet as their former leader brandished his wand angrily and fired off a hex. Hermione pulled Draco out of the way and they both turned to Tom and began fighting him off at the same time, their wands and arms moving so fast that they appeared to be mere blurs and their bodies moving in sync in order to dodge the spells being fired their way.

Hermione wasn't expecting an attack from behind and was caught completely off guard by a curse that hit her straight in the back. She stumbled and fell to one knee and looked up at Tom in fear as he looked down at her with a chilling grin – knowing that with her slight hesitation and distraction that he could finish her off in a second. The obvious green of the Killing Curse burst from Tom's wand and tore through the air toward her.

She tried to get out of the way but her foot slipped on the marble floor and she had a half-second to realize that this was going to be the end. Draco suddenly let out a roar and threw himself through the air between Hermione and Tom, the curse sinking into his chest and dropping him to the floor before her.

Hermione let out a horrified gasp and turned to Tom who gave her a creepy grin before disappearing from the fight altogether.

Hermione choked out a gasp and turned back to her fallen husband, gripping his hands and laboriously pulling him out of the line of fire and toward the wall. A spell whizzed by her ear and singed the hair on the side of her head and she wandlessly erected a shield around her and Draco as she finally tugged him to the wall and leaned over him, checking for a pulse – a breath – anything.

She began to sob after ten seconds of checking for any life, unable to hold it in as the fighting around her continued in earnest.

"Take him, Hermione!" she heard through the din and looked up in time to see Narcissa pulled into a fight with a witch she didn't recall.

Her mother-in-law's eyes were blazing with fury and she had a determined look on her face as she fought the other woman. Her hair was coming free of the confines she'd put it into before she'd been captured and her wand was moving so quickly Hermione could barely see it.

"Go!" Lucius shouted at her as he approached his wife from behind.

Hermione watched as Narcissa cast a hex that ripped a chunk of flesh from the other woman's throat before trying to heave Draco into her arms so they could get away from the fight.

Draco was too heavy and his lifeless body was unmanageable. She choked out another sob as she pointed her wand at him and levitated his body before she gripped his hand and turned into apparation – Draco's body in tow.

/

Hermione slammed into the floor of the Great Hall and Draco landed atop her and pinned her down. She was sobbing hysterically and didn't even register that there were people around; people who had gone absolutely still and silent upon her arrival.

If she looked straight up Draco's eyes were staring down at her – lifeless and dull now. She screamed and cried and pleaded with every deity she'd ever heard of to let her have her husband back, to let him be alive and everything just be a bad dream as she turned away and vomited down the side of her face and onto her hair and the floor.

Someone pulled Draco from her and laid him down on his back beside her and she scrambled forward and clutched onto him tightly, her tears wetting his shirt as she laid her head down on his chest.

That's when the panic in the hall started.

She heard screams and sobbing and didn't dare open her eyes to see the pity that would be looking down on her. She felt someone standing beside her leg as she sprawled across her husband but paid it no mind in her shock and pain, she pressed her leg closer to the person just to have some contact with someone as her mind ran at a million miles a minute. The screams from the people around them weren't even making an impression on her as she continued crying, and her shock was so evident – so complete – that she didn't immediately register the breath that expanded Draco's chest and raised her head a few inches until she heard his sweet, sweet voice.

"Hermione?" he asked, confused.

Hermione's head snapped up so quickly she heard her neck crack but she paid it no mind as she stared into her husband's face. His eyes were open and blinking at her, obviously wondering why she was crying all over him and had vomit in her hair. Hermione turned and realized it was Harry Potter who was standing beside her leg, quietly trying to lend her strength through the entire ordeal – she would be forever grateful of that.

"What's wrong, love?" Draco asked, sitting up and pulling her into his lap and running a hand down her shoulder lightly. He wasn't willing to believe that everything he'd just experienced in his head was actually real, but seeing Hermione's reaction to him was almost confirmation enough.

The hall had quieted down again and everyone could hear the large double doors that were thrown open roughly and the hundreds of feet that thundered into the room – Narcissa, Lucius, Blaise and Theo in the lead.

"Draco!" Narcissa screamed, running forward in a very unladylike manner and dropping down beside him, ignoring the painful gash in her arm and the other injuries she'd received from being captive in her own home. She looked at Hermione for a moment before completely disregarding the vomit in her hair and pulling her into a watery hug – both the women were shaking so badly that they ended up leaning against each other for support.

Hermione looked dazed, her face the epitome of confusion as she looked at her husband.

"But…" she started, biting her lip for a moment and looking around the hall to see the shocked faces watching them. "But, Draco… you were dead." She looked so torn up and completely befuddled as her eyes searched his face. "You were, Draco! You were dead. I watched you get hit with the killing curse! I checked you over after I'd managed to get you near the wall and into safety! You were dead!"

She seemed to be angry with him for a moment, as though he had somehow tricked her and Draco was silently waiting for her to really let go on him when he heard a voice from beside her.

"Hermione," it said, and it almost seemed to be admonishing her for her behaviour. It seemed to work, because Hermione stopped immediately and her face softened as she leaned her head against Narcissa's shoulder and stared at him in curiosity instead of anger.

"I saw things in my head," Draco said as an answer. Narcissa blinked before turning toward her son and Lucius placed a hand on his shoulder in support. "I don't know where I was but there were people there. People I haven't seen in years."

Draco turned his head and looked at his father who looked curious. "Your sister was there, Cassie, and she told me that she was so glad of the man I'd turned into. Your cousin Sirius was there too," Draco said, turning to his mother. "He told me that because I'd taken the curse willingly to protect someone that I loved that I had the choice to stay there with them and everyone else or I could come back here. It was tempting," he admitted in a small voice, embarrassed about thinking it would be nice to leave it all behind. "It was so nice there – so peaceful – but when I thought of you three I knew there was no way I could leave you just like that if I'd been given the choice."

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and started sobbing again. She seemed to be speaking but everything was incoherent with her relief of having her husband beneath her, alive and well.

"Don't ever do that again!" she yelled suddenly, her voice cracking.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sending a fearful glance toward his mother. "Come on, Hermione, we need to go shower before we can address the rest of the room."

"We've got it, Draco," Blaise assured, clapping his hand on Draco's shoulder in their comfortable gesture after Lucius moved away and embraced Narcissa, who had stood up and surveyed the room around them.

Draco had Hermione's hand clamped in his own tightly when the voice of Neville Longbottom reached their ears.

"Where's Luna?" he asked quietly, watching the group closely.

Hermione's renewed sobs seemed to answer the question for him, but Draco disengaged himself from his wife and approached Neville slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Neville," Draco said quietly as the other man stiffened. "She's gone."

Hermione rushed by and threw her arms around Neville, who sunk to the floor slowly and let out a gasp of surprise.

"She was a good person," he said, gripping Hermione tightly. "Was it quick?"

Hermione nodded and backed away from her friend slowly. "None of us were expecting it," she admitted. "It happened so quickly that there wasn't a thing we could do."

"Good," Neville said with a sharp nod of his head. "That's good."

"I'm sorry," Annabel said to the man, coming up to his side and wrapping her arms around him. Everyone knew that Neville and Luna were close friends.

"Where's my wife?"

"Here," came Ginny's reply, and she approached Neville and took his hand before gently guiding him from the room.

Hermione watched as Harry's eyebrows jumped with surprise – he obviously had no idea about Ginny until that very moment.

"Can we have your attention please?" Blaise called from the front of the room, garnering the attention of every person in the hall. "If you'd all take a seat we would love to inform you of everything that has just taken place. First we'd like to take a minute of silence for Luna Lovegood…


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N- Thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed this story! We're getting closer to the end, now, and I'm really psyched about the interest that this story has generated. Thank you to my beta, Nina, and Komekozzy425 for all of her help, as well. You guys are all amazing!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Twenty Nine**

Draco was walking aimlessly through the castle. His mind was wandering, wondering where Hermione was off to, thinking about how they'd managed to learn duplicating charms on food – Hermione had found an old Cyrillic volume in the Restricted Section that held a number of useful spells – since it would otherwise have been impossible to feed their new members without spending thousands of galleons. He was turning the corner near Professor McGonagall's old office when he suddenly realized that in all the excitement they'd completely forgotten about the Philosophers stone.

"Shit," he exclaimed, pulling to a stop so suddenly that his toes jammed into his boot. Tom clearly knew that at least some of his Death Eaters had defected and Draco knew that even though Tom's refuge was his ancestral home, there was absolutely no way he'd be able to get back into the manor in order to procure the stone.

Draco knew that Tom's behavior wasn't the result of him unravelling – he probably had been acting in the same manner the entire time, they just never realized it. His ruthless murder of Luna Lovegood was proof of how well and truly they'd had the wool pulled over their eyes and it made him extremely angry to know that his mother had been inches away from death.

Luna had been a neutral in the war until she'd decided to give Draco and Hermione a hand and Draco felt extremely guilty for pulling her into the fray. He wondered where her body was and wished beyond everything that he hadn't been hurt so badly during the fight – he'd otherwise have carried her back to her comrades. She didn't deserve to have her body thrown away without a second thought and left to the elements.

Maybe he could go back to his manor and find the stone and her body in one go?

No. It would be a suicide mission and would probably be fruitless.

He'd make sure there was still a service held for the brave young woman who died for their cause; it was the least he could do. Draco turned around and started down the many staircases to find Neville with the thought of a service in his mind when he stopped again, still struggling with what he would do about the stone. They couldn't leave it in Tom's possession if they wanted the war to end anytime soon.

Draco straightened and a grin appeared on his face as an idea came to him.

"Tiptop!"

His elf appeared in front of him immediately and looked up at him with a smile. "Master?"

"Have you happened to see Tom doing anything with a stone? The Philosophers stone?" He held up his hands to indicate the approximate size and shape.

Tiptop's ears drooped as the elf shook his head. "I haven't seen anything like that, Sir."

"Okay. Keep your eyes open for it," Draco told his small elf. "If you do see it at all or hear anything about it we need you to find it and bring it back here for us, okay?"

"Yes, Master," Tiptop replied, watching Draco with his large eyes.

"The stone is important and if we don't find it we won't be able to defeat Tom."

"Tiptop will look for it, Master. He won't sleep or eat until he finds it."

"No, Tiptop. You can't be obvious about it, just listen for any information about it and once you've figured it out please bring it to us. Also, I'm wondering if you know what was done with Luna Lovegood's body? Have you heard anything?"

"It's gone, Master. The strange blonde girl was taken outside and left in the courtyard until Dark Master decided what he wanted to do. Tiptop saw the great Dark Master go out later in the night and burn it."

"Tom burned Luna's body?" Draco asked in repulsion, even though it was exactly what he was expecting.

"Tiptop found this," the small elf started as he reached into the pillowcase he was wearing and pulling out some strange looking jewellery. "Tiptop thinks this was the strange Nargle girl's."

Draco reached forward and pulled a necklace made of butterbeer corks from his elf's hand before inspecting it closely. It certainly seemed like something Luna would have worn.

"Thank you, I think Neville Longbottom will appreciate this."

Tiptop beamed in happiness at pleasing his master before turning serious again. "The stone," the little creature said.

"Yes, Tiptop. Find the stone."

"Yes, Master," the elf said, and disappeared with a crack.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief at having something figured out and then lifted his hand to inspect the necklace. The corks were dirty but Draco figured it was just from wear because they weren't coated in mud, soot, or blood.

Thankfully.

He let out a breath and continued on his way to find Neville. If anyone in the castle deserved the last piece of Luna Lovegood, it was Neville – he was probably the best friend she had.

/

Hermione shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her body as she ascended the stairs to the astronomy tower, her breath puffing out in thick streams because of the cold air. She'd spent most of the morning attending to the potions she was brewing in the dungeons, but she wanted to speak to Harry and figured he was hiding out somewhere in the castle.

She was right.

"What's going on with you?" Hermione asked as she approached Harry, who was leaning on the wall and looking out over the frozen grounds.

The dark haired wizard was startled out of his thoughts and turned to Hermione abruptly, a surprised look on his face that quickly morphed into one of anger.

"You let Ginny marry Neville?! I didn't even know she was here this entire time, and then all of a sudden I find out that not only is she here but married?! Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"I didn't 'let' Ginny marry him, Harry, it was a choice between two adults!"

"A choice that you orchestrated!"

"Look, Harry," Hermione started, not wanting to let her anger flare and cause any more arguments between them. He was acting like a spoiled brat, but he had been through a lot as well. She recognized that coming into the situation at the castle without fully understanding everything that had happened would definitely be a shock to the system. "I understand that you're confused and probably hurt about everything that's been happening, but if you want to know something about Ginny and Neville go ask them yourself! I'm not going to sit here and listen to you rage and wail about things that cannot be changed – if they were willing to change it, which I doubt. You have to understand that there is a lot more going on here than you and your pathetic love life! Did it completely escape your attention that my husband literally died last night?! And on top of that, it's clear that Tom now knows that he has defectors – I wouldn't be surprised if the fighting starts soon. We need to come up with a plan. Since it's your life on the line I figured you'd want to be part of the discussion, but if you're too busy pouting over something you never really had then go ahead and wallow. I'm going to find the group and begin to make plans. If you feel like getting over yourself come and find us."

Hermione turned on her heel, completely ready to storm down the stairs, but Harry's voice stopped her.

"I just don't understand how Ginny could end up choosing Neville, of all people. He was a low-ranking member of the Order and barely even fought. She was my girlfriend…I thought she was waiting for me."

"Maybe you made her wait too long," Hermione said, annoyed that Harry would dare even go there. As if how much someone engaged in violence determined his value as a husband.

"I guess," he said with a sigh. Hermione figured that was as good as it was going to get.

"All right, Harry. I'm going to find my husband now before joining Blaise, Theo, Ginny, and Neville. If you want to join us in this discussion for our future, fine – if not, that's fine too. Seriously, it's only going to get harder for you in this castle if you continue brooding by yourself about things that can't be changed. Everyone is already wary enough about you and having a bad attitude isn't going to help, but if you can man up and come give us a hand with the real problems…I don't know, maybe it'll help you, too."

Hermione turned around and made her way back into the castle, the warm air tingling her skin as she heard Harry let out a sigh behind her.

/

"Be prepared for it, Ginny, he's not impressed." Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face.

Ginny huffed and pushed herself back from the planning table that was covered in parchment. "He doesn't have to be impressed by anything I do, anymore."

"I know that, Ginny, I'm just warning you that he's probably going to throw a fit," Hermione said as she glanced around the table at her friends.

Ginny huffed and started pacing in her agitation, her hands balled into fists at her side as Neville watched her closely. Ginny spun toward the table, her mouth opening to start some sort of tirade but she stopped at the sound of a knock on the door.

Draco got to his feet and opened the door, not surprised in the least to be looking down at Harry Potter.

"Finally decided to join us low-ranked members in planning how to get rid of the Dark Lord himself?" Draco asked snidely. He still didn't trust the scar-faced prick.

"I actually want to speak to Ginny," Harry said, surprising Hermione by ignoring her husband's rude remark.

"We really don't have anything to talk about, Harry," Ginny said, approaching Neville and standing at his side. "I'm married. It was my choice, my decision, and it's final."

"How could you just betray me and marry someone else?" Harry asked, pain evident in his voice.

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Harry, if you even think about the way you've treated me over the last few years, you couldn't honestly expect me to have stuck around."

"I didn't treat you any differently than I ever did," he cried indignantly, causing Hermione to cringe and back away from the scene slightly. She could clearly remember the way Harry was toward Ginny – not just from the other girl's memories, but also from before Hermione herself had fled the Order.

"That was the problem," Ginny snarled. "You acted like it was required, like it was my duty in life to stand beside you and agree with everything you said – even though most of it was ludicrous. I didn't appreciate being treated like some sort of afterthought who had to hover near you and be belittled by you the few times you did deign to notice me. Christ, Harry, you treated me horribly! You manhandled me, talked crassly about other witches all the time, spoke to me like I was a child of three… I just couldn't do it anymore! Neville," she smiled up at her husband, "was always there for me. He respects and loves me…and I'm sorry if this was a surprise but if you'd been paying attention, it wouldn't have been. Give it a rest. It is what it is. This is my – our – life. Oh, and don't you dare hold any harsh feelings toward Hermione about any of it either. I specifically asked her to keep me out of it until you were here."

"You're using me, then?"

"I don't care about you enough to use you, Harry," Ginny stated baldly. "You need to be here so you can help us finish this ridiculous war where no one even knows what the truth is anymore. You need to man up, Harry, and accept things for what they are. It's about time you took control and did something right, for a change."

Hermione's eyes widened and met Draco's silver ones. Her husband seemed to be enjoying the dressing down that Harry was receiving. Hermione was shocked at the way Ginny was speaking, but relieved, too. She'd missed this Ginny, the strong, fearless woman who'd throw a Bat-Bogey Hex at anyone who looked at her cross-eyed. Harry seemed surprised, too; his eyes were a little bigger than usual for a moment before he lowered them to the floor. He took a deep breath.

"You're right," he said, surprising everyone in the room. "You're completely right, Ginny. Looking back on it, I guess I thought you'd always be there for me. I thought that is what it meant to be a supportive girlfriend, for you to stand beside me blindly even if I wasn't really that good to you."

The silence and tension in the room was so thick that Hermione was fairly sure she would be able to cut through it with a spoon.

Harry sighed again and his entire body seemed to droop with the sound. "I'm so sorry, Ginny. I'm so sorry to everyone, actually. I just want this to be finished so you guys can move on with your lives."

"Oh, don't be so fucking dramatic, Potter. We all want this finished," Theo snarled.

"At least you'll be alive to reap the benefits," Harry sniped back, obviously frustrated.

"Stop being such a martyr," Blaise said, uninterested in hearing Potter whine. "We were all raised and groomed for the outcome of this war whether we wanted it or not. There's no one else that can finish it and you need to get that into your head and come to terms with it."

"Come to terms with death at age twenty one? Would you be able to? Or you, Malfoy?" Everyone stared at each other, wondering how the so-called 'Saviour' had forgotten that the taller man had literally taken a killing curse for his wife the day prior. Blaise rolled his eyes at Theo.

"Yes," Draco said, completely seriously. "If I knew that I could sacrifice myself in order to keep Hermione alive and happy then I'd do it without a second thought."

"You need to look at the bigger picture, Harry," Hermione cut in, warmed and frightened by Draco's words. She didn't want to think about losing him again. "Instead of thinking about it in terms of your death, you should try and think about it in terms of all the people who will still be able to live. People like me, Muggleborns, all the Death Eaters who have defected, every person you've grown to love – all of them would be killed almost immediately, if Tom wins. I'm sure some people would be able to get away but for how long? You have the opportunity to save everyone. I think that's amazing and maybe even a little bit of an honour. People would never, ever, forget the things you'd allowed them to continue on with. Maybe think about it that way."

Draco took Hermione's hand and guided her back to the table to join Neville and Ginny, pressing a kiss to her temple. If that speech didn't get through the wanker's thick skull then nothing would and it was all a waste of time.

"Can we get back to the plans, then?" Neville asked, speaking up for the first time. Theo and Blaise each gave Harry one last look before approaching the table. Blaise pulled a piece of parchment to himself, quill poised to begin taking notes even though no one was speaking, yet.

"How exactly are we planning this? No offense but I'm pretty sure any plan you try to make will be exploded to shit once it all comes down to it," Harry said, approaching the table uneasily, like he thought they'd make him leave.

Hermione sighed. "That does seem to be the problem."

"Well if no one is going to say anything useful I'm going down for dinner," Theo said crankily as Blaise threw the quill onto the table. "I'm absolutely starving."

"Me too," Ginny said seconds before turning red. Harry, of course, had no idea she was pregnant and she'd really prefer to keep it that way.

"This isn't getting us anywhere, anyway," Draco said in agitation, gesturing at the table. "We should get a good meal and then meet back here. Theo, I liked what you were saying about traps near the entrances and especially strengthening defenses around the far edges of the Forest."

"Yeah, we need to keep them packed in tightly, going the way we want them to," Theo continued, "like a maze from the gates or whichever entrance we want them to take. That way they're hemmed in and we can keep their numbers from meaning as much, tactically."

They walked down to the Great Hall companionably – all except Harry, who walked a little behind the rest, looking unsure of himself. Hermione felt bad for him, she really did, but at the same time he had alienated himself and it would take time for everyone to accept him again. Including her.

Hermione looked at her friends, Theo was joking with Ginny and making her blush while Neville seemed to be purposely ignoring the conversation and starting one up with Draco. She couldn't help but to smile at the fact that they were all getting along. Maybe, in time, Harry would be comfortable enough to join in as well.

If he lived that long, anyway.

Hermione settled herself on the bench between Draco and Neville and started dishing up her plate, her stomach growling as the delicious scents assaulted her senses.

She was listening to the idle chatter and chewing on her food when there was a loud crack of apparation in the hall followed by several people screaming. Draco was on his feet in a split second and rushing toward the middle of the room – Hermione was a little slower and had stood from the table just as she heard a faint, "Master Draco," in a small, wobbly voice.

"Tiptop," she heard her husband cry, frantically. "What happened?!"

Hermione began moving toward the pair and saw Narcissa and Lucius doing the same. Her eyes landed on the small elf who was sprawled on the floor – crimson dots were seeping through his usually pristine pillowcase and his small appendages were trembling, his left hand tight around something.

"Great Dark Master has many plans, Master," the elf was saying in a rush, his squeaky voice diminishing slightly with every word. "He knows there is traitors now and he's going to find his soul soon. He's going to find it, Master."

"Did he do this?!" Draco demanded as Hermione dropped to her knees and started to try and heal the elf below her wand. Nothing was working, to her dismay, and her attempts to heal the elf seemed only to make it worse. She let out a small sob but stifled it so they could hear what Tiptop was saying.

"He caught Tiptop in his office, Master, but Tiptop still got it."

"Got what?" Hermione asked in confusion. Draco reached forward and gently prised open the elf's small hand and plucked the stone from it in one fluid motion, shoving it in his pocket before anyone else got a good look at it. Tiptop reached out with his hand and touched Draco's face gently.

"Master," the elf said, his bulbous eyes steadily leaking tears as his gaze slipped over Draco's shoulder and stared at the ceiling. "Win… this…" Tiptop's hand slipped from Draco's face and fell to the floor with a small thud.

Draco closed his eyes and looked away for a moment as Hermione wiped her eyes and quickly reached out to close the large eyes on the head of Draco's tiny elf. When Draco looked back Tiptop could have been sleeping but the blond reached out and gently lifted the elf into his arms, turning his back and heading for the double doors.

Hermione looked around to see that many, especially the former Gryffindors, looked completely shocked that Draco was able to show emotions other than hate, but she turned to her friends instead of acknowledging anyone else and wasn't surprised to see the four of them had stood from the table and were headed toward her. She turned away when they were only a few feet from her, and Neville, Ginny, Blaise and Theo followed her from the hall in search of Draco.

He was outside, staring at a patch of ground that he'd clearly just used magic on to melt the snow away.

"Heating charm," he said to no one in particular. "As soon as it's thawed the ground a little bit I'm going to dig Tiptop's grave. He probably would have preferred to be buried at the manor, but I think this is just as beautiful a place as any."

Hermione moved forward and fit herself into Draco's side, his arm automatically lifting and wrapping around her shoulder, holding her body tightly to his own.

"I'm sorry," Theo said. "I know he was all you had when we were younger. He did love you, though, and he died for a good cause."

"He got the stone," Neville breathed, reverently; Draco had told them about Dumbledore's deception. "That was such a help for us, Draco."

They lapsed into silence and stared at the small elf and the slowly thawing ground, shivering slightly in the cold winter air. Ginny took it upon herself to stand before each member of their group and transfigure their small indoor sweaters into thick cloaks to keep them warm.

They were interrupted by footsteps crunching through the snow toward them.

Hermione turned first, wand drawn, and was surprised but glad to see Harry making his way toward them, spades in his hands.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said to Draco once he was close enough for them to hear his voice over his crunching shoes. Harry didn't say anything else about it but Draco acknowledged his words with a nod of his head.

Harry was silent for a few moments before he tentatively reached out a hand, passing a shovel to Draco, who took it immediately and moved forward to begin digging.

Harry passed the other men shovels and they all moved forward to help Draco. Harry turned to Ginny to pass her a shovel and the petite woman politely declined, causing Harry's eyebrows to draw together. He turned to Hermione next, who gave her former friend a small smile but also declined.

"Ginny and I have to go check on some potions, Harry, but thanks for doing this. It means a lot."

Harry gave her a small half smile before turning away and joining the other men in the dirt. Draco glanced up at Hermione and gave her a sad, lost look before clapping Blaise on the back.

"Thanks," Ginny said as they walked away, chuckling softly. "I wasn't thrilled about trying to explain that one away."

"Don't think you're getting out of that so easily," Hermione joked. "I really do have some potions to check on. Nothing that would be dangerous for the baby, of course."

"Oh – while we're talking about potions, would you be able to make some prenatal potions for me?"

"Of course," Hermione answered with a small twinge of guilt. She hadn't started on anything for Ginny yet because she'd been so busy worrying and brewing as many healing and pain potions as possible for the upcoming battle.

/

Ginny only stayed in the dungeons for half an hour before retreating to her bedroom for a much needed rest, and when Hermione was done making sure all the potions were on track she headed back into the cold evening to see how the burial was going.

Draco had just placed his small elf into the relatively deep hole in the ground when Hermione approached the group. He placed his own cloak tenderly over the elf before hoisting himself from the grave and looking down with such a desolate look on his face that Hermione's heart clenched. Draco was turning to say something to Blaise when his eyes landed on her and he immediately turned and walked toward her, his face drawn and tired looking.

Draco grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her in tightly. It was obvious that he was taking the loss of his elf hard and she knew that it probably felt like a loss of his childhood, too – Tiptop had been his elf since he had been born. Harry seemed to be having problems taking the whole situation in, and Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he was struggling with this new side of Draco. When he made a face at Tiptop's grave, Hermione found herself completely pissed off.

Who the hell did Harry James Potter think he was, anyway? He was judgemental about everyone around him but seemed to just throw his own actions to the wayside as if he wasn't accountable for anything. Draco was upset that his elf had been murdered by Tom and he had every fucking right to be!

Hermione was about to open her mouth and give the snotty wizard a piece of her mind when she realized that Draco and Blaise were speaking – saying nice words about Tiptop. Draco waved his wand and the pile of dirt raised into the air before settling over the small body in the grave.

"Thanks for your help," Draco was saying to his friends, turning away and pulling Hermione with him.

"Wait," she said quietly, extracting her hand from her husband's gently and giving him contrite look. "You go ahead, okay? There's something I need to do."

"Do you want me to wait?"

"No," she breathed, gathering courage for what was about to happen. "I won't be long, but I really need to do this."

Draco canted his head to the side while watching her, then glanced at Harry for a second before giving her a tight nod and walking away. Blaise and Theo each patted her on the back as they walked by and Harry was waiting beside the fresh grave quietly – he apparently knew that Hermione wanted to speak to him.

"We need to talk," she said aggressively, approaching him. He had his hands jammed in the pockets of his cloak and seemed to find his shoes very interesting. He didn't say anything at all.

"I thought at first that once we spent some time together again that I'd be able to get through everything that happened, but seeing you continuously judge everyone around you does nothing but piss me off and I haven't re-evaluated anything."

"I do not judge everyone around me!" Harry snapped, his downtrodden posture abandoned immediately.

"Did you honestly think that no one noticed the way you were just looking at Draco and his elf? He isn't a fucking monster, Harry, and that elf was his companion since he was a child!"

"I don't think this is about an elf," Harry said, watching her. "I'll admit that I was surprised that Malfoy had positive feelings for Tiptop, considering how he treated Dobby, but I don't think that's what has you so mad."

Hermione did not appreciate the condescending tone of his voice.

"I'm mad at _you_ , Harry!" she yelled suddenly, surprising both of them. "I'm so fucking mad at you for everything you did to me! Don't you realize that? I've been trying to be a good person and rise above it but I just can't! When you used to yell at me in front of the entire Order I wanted to cry, Harry, and thinking about it still makes me want to cry! One of my best friends just didn't give a shit about how he was belittling me and making me feel like a huge pile of garbage for whatever fucking reason you had, which I still don't know! You made me feel so bad about myself all the time and you never trusted me enough to tell me anything or keep me in the loop in any way, shape or form. You kept me a prisoner and you treated me as badly."

"Hey," he said, gently. Hermione seemed to be coming apart at the seams.

"I didn't leave the Order just because Ron raped me, Harry! I was planning on it before that had even happened – in fact, I already had my things packed before he came barging into my room."

Harry was totally caught off guard by that information, but Hermione wasn't done.

"You ignored me for years and anytime I even tried to contribute to the conversation you'd cut me down in front of everyone! You turned into a monster and I didn't know what to do about it anymore. I tried to talk to you, I tried to get you alone just once so we could have an actual conversation but you just didn't give a fuck! You didn't care, Harry, and that made me feel like you never cared! Do you understand how awful that was?! I was with you for years and had pledged to be at your side until the very end, having your back and keeping you safe, but I just couldn't do it anymore! Even if I could have, you wouldn't have let me, you kept me locked up like a dog! I saved your ass countless times in school and never questioned any of the stupid things you said or did, because I was your friend and I was trying to be supportive and understanding and in the end none of it made even an iota of a fucking difference!"

"Hermione," Harry said, trying to get a word in edgewise. He was worried about her. Her face was so red that Harry was seriously concerned about her blood pressure and she was shaking with not only the cold, but the absolute rage pouring through her system. Her eyes were glassy and full of tears but she seemed completely unwilling to let them fall.

"No! You listen to me, Harry Potter! All I've ever wanted from you was your unquestioned love and support, and you can go ahead and try to blame everything on that stupid curse Dumbledore had you under but that's just not going to cut it, okay? You need to own up to your actions and grow the fuck up if you ever want to be friends with me again – even if you want to get the air cleared, because I can't ever stand by you blindly again. You'll never understand how much it hurt me when you denied me at the pond all that time ago, I literally felt like you'd stabbed me in the chest – and then you attacked me! You literally tried to kill me, Harry. It was a complete betrayal and I'm not going to act like everything is fine!"

Hermione was losing steam now and Harry moved forward as she sunk to her knees in the snow, her hands and arms lifted and she literally wrapped them around her head, her hands clutching the back of her skull as her upper arms cradled her face. Her body was heaving harshly with her sobs and she was shaking even harder than she had been before.

"You turned your back on me and completely betrayed me at the worst time in my life," she shouted, her voice cracking with her tears.

Harry's heart sunk in his chest as he watched her.

"I heard you tell Ron that you wanted to _rape_ me and kill me in front of Draco, Harry! I heard it and you can't just blame it on the stupid fucking curse. I will not accept that."

Hermione's voice broke and she was sobbing in earnest, unable to speak anymore.

Harry dropped to his knees beside her and hesitantly put his arms around her, trying to hug her in their awkward position. She stiffened but didn't push him away.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I know it doesn't mean anything right now but it's true, I'm so sorry and I don't know what to do to fix it. I was a complete and utter bastard and I think the power of running the Order was going to my head. I was stupid, I was blinded by hate, and I wanted to do everything possible to get rid of the Death Eaters and Voldemort – I think that's why I would always get so pissed off when you'd contribute. You made too much sense, Hermione, and all without any suggestion of violence. I didn't like that. I felt threatened, like you were saying I was failing. I had to be the fucking 'Saviour' and I wasn't good enough for you. I hated it and I think…I don't know, I can't say it was the curse but with everything that was going on, I started to hate you."

Harry was getting overwhelmed with emotion as well. His throat had tightened, his voice was higher than normal and stressed. He had no viable explanation for the things he'd done other than the fact that he was a complete and utter wanker, who truly didn't even deserve her friendship. He told her so and he cried with her, his glasses fogging in the cold night air.

"You're a good person, Hermione, and I'm not. I truly want us to be friends again, but if you don't feel it can happen then I'll accept it. I just want you to be happy, you deserve to be happy and if that means I'm not in your life anymore, then that's what it means. I'm so sorry… for everything."

They'd both calmed down after a few minutes and Harry hesitantly got to his feet, gently pulling Hermione upright. She was feeling about a thousand times lighter now that everything was off her chest.

"I am happy, Harry. Draco is an amazing husband and he does everything he can to ensure that I'm safe and happy, but if you can't accept his, or Blaise and Theo's roles in my life then you won't be able to be a part of it. It will take time for me to actually forgive everything you've done to me," Harry winced but nodded, "but I think we just took a step in the right direction."

Hermione realized that Harry was honestly upset about everything he'd done and hearing him say that he cared about her happiness, whether he was involved in her life or not, was proof of that in her mind.

She left him there, kneeling in the snow by himself beside the small grave of Tiptop and made her way to her husband, feeling better than she had in months now that everything was off her chest. Now that Harry was aware of how much he'd hurt her in the past. A cathartic peace flowed through her and for the first time, she felt a tiny hope grow that perhaps, one day, they could be close again.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N- Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who has supported me and this story! Only a few more chapters to go, now. I haven't answered anyone's reviews yet and I swear I will, just not right now because we're going bow shooting and my husband is waiting for me very impatiently... so anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please keep in mind this story is coming to an end very soon.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Chapter Thirty**

Draco didn't let go of her once the night they buried Tiptop, clinging to her like he was trying to stop himself from sinking, but Hermione snuggled into him and relished the contact. She was drained after her screaming match with Harry, but both she and her husband had managed to sleep through the night without even moving.

Things seemed clearer in the morning.

"We need to station someone by the Horcrux cave," Hermione told the 'inner council' quietly at breakfast. "I'm going to allow Tom entrance to the Forest and outer grounds – nothing closer than the Quidditch pitch – Tiptop said that he would be coming to check on them, since Lucius knew where they were kept. And remember the hidden blood ward I found from his days at school? He thinks he still has access to the wards. So, if we have someone there, hidden, they can send us a patronus immediately. Once we get the patronus, I can change the wards to ensure he can't disapparate from the grounds – the only thing he'll be able to do is make his way through the grounds and come to castle where we can have an attack waiting."

"It won't have to be much of an attack if he's alone," Blaise noted, smearing marmalade on his toast.

"Who would you send?" Draco asked, looking between the seven of them at the table. "It has to be someone we trust."

"I'll do it," Neville said, surprising the former Slytherins. Hermione wasn't shocked in the least – Neville was one of the bravest men she knew.

"Are you sure? It'll be boring and you'll have to ensure that you stay hidden."

"You can borrow my cloak," Harry offered, eyes downcast. Hermione felt almost bad for the things she'd said to him, but she knew it had needed to be done in order for her to be able to move past it.

"That would be helpful, Potter, thanks," Draco said, surprising Harry so much that the wizard's green eyes shot up and locked onto the Draco's silver ones.

"I should be the one saying thank you," Harry said, catching everyone off guard. "You've been the best husband to Hermione I could ever hope for. You've kept her safe and happy and helped her move on from some truly horrific things – things I'd caused, as well as others, and I just want to thank you for that. Sincerely. I'm sorry for everything I caused," he added, looking around at the rest of the group. "I know you all had a hand in picking up the pieces of Hermione that I left shattered, so I'm sorry and thank you."

Harry stood up from the table suddenly and hurried away, taking a left when he got through the double doors and headed upstairs.

The table was silent, looking at each other in surprise before Draco cleared his throat and picked up the previous conversation.

"So when do you think you'll be ready, Neville? Hermione's already changed the wards, so you should probably get out there."

"Are you sure he'll be safe?" A worried Ginny asked, her hands clutched tightly together in her lap.

"Harry's cloak has never failed us before," Hermione pointed out. She wasn't going to say that everything would be perfect, because that wouldn't be realistic and she wasn't interested in giving Ginny false hope.

"I'll side-along you, Neville," Hermione said. "We just need Harry's cloak."

Draco was just going to offer to go find Potter when the man entered the hall again, carrying a silvery cloak in his hands. He still didn't seem interested in making eye contact with anyone as he approached the table and he shoved the cloak into Neville's arms before he turned away and hurried from the hall, this time taking a right and heading outside.

Hermione's eyes followed him sadly and Draco felt his heart clench. She just loved so hard that it was impossible for her to even hate an old friend who'd made her feel hurt and betrayed.

"This is happening," Neville breathed, his nervous energy clouding everyone in the room.

"I'll speak to everyone and tell them that things will be coming to a finish here, maybe as soon as today. Hurry back," he said to Hermione, who took Neville by the arm before disappearing.

Draco turned and approached the dais so he could speak to the entire hall, which had filled considerably in the last fifteen minutes.

"Excuse me!" he called, gaining the attention of everyone on the benches below him. "I have some shocking news for everyone, but we need to be aware that the trap we set has come to fruition. It seems like Tom has taken the bait we left for him, and he will be here soon – he might be planning on coming to the castle today! Now, before everyone panics, I want you to know that we have already posted lookouts and once Tom arrives, they'll warn us immediately. So, we have enough time to get everything in order. Hermione's going to change the wards so Tom is unable to leave once he's arrived, essentially trapping him here with us. Hopefully finishing him will be easy enough, since, if everything goes to plan, he'll have no supporters."

Draco sighed as everyone in the hall began to panic. It was going to take a lot more explaining than that, but he had other fish to fry.

"Finish eating, all of you. We will meet to discuss the battle plan in an hour. Anyone who has any questions before then can go ahead and speak to either Blaise Zabini or Theodore Nott. Thank you."

His friends looked shocked and then glared at him as he hurried from the hall, but he ignored them and headed outside, looking for Potter.

He was sitting on a large boulder beside the Black Lake, wiping his cheeks suspiciously after he saw Draco approaching.

"Look, Potter," Draco said without preamble. "I know there's a lot going on now, but it's time to get your game face on because shit's about to hit the fan. This is going to end tonight, one way or another."

"She hates me," Harry said as a reply. "The worst part about it is that I did it to myself and I deserve it. I deserve much worse from her, actually."

Draco sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. He didn't exactly want to have the conversation that was about to take place, but he had followed Potter anyway.

"She doesn't hate you," he said after a moment. "She loves you, and I think that's why she's been hurting so bad about everything. She trusted you and she's done everything she could for you since she was eleven years old and that was thrown back into her face in the worst way possible. There's still hope, though, Potter, trust me. I know. I think the fact that she's been so upset about it means she still cares, she just needs time to forgive you."

"I know this is going to sound selfish… but I needed her forgiveness before the final battle. I know I'm not going to live. Really, I don't deserve to. She yelled at me last night and she told me it'll be a long time before she can actually forgive me for what I've done and I don't blame her."

"You can't be worried about that when we're fighting, Potter. Once we win this thing I'm sure you'll have her forgiveness."

"Do I deserve it?" he asked, and sounded so desperate that Draco wasn't sure what to say.

"No," he said after a moment. "But neither did I," he added. "I made that woman's life hell when we were kids, Potter, but she managed to forgive me."

"You're right that you didn't deserve it either, but I did way worse things than you." Harry looked surprised for minute and then let out a little chuckle. "I never thought I'd say that."

"It's a sad truth," Draco agreed. "But I think it just goes to show that she has a good heart and wants to give people more than one… or probably even five, chances. She's a good person, Potter, but you've got to let her work things out in her own time."

Harry nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable that Draco Malfoy had just made him feel even slightly better.

"Let's get back up there and start figuring things out," Draco said, not willing to reach out and help Harry from the rock. Despite wanting Potter to figure out how to fix things with his wife, he still didn't really like the other man. He knew Hermione well enough to know that she'd forgive the 'Saviour' in her own time, and he could even slightly understand it. They'd been friends for years and she wasn't the type of person who could just let that go.

"We've got a psychopath to take down," Harry agreed, brushing his clothes off and heading back to the castle alone.

"Too many feelings," Draco muttered, wanting to take out his wand and hex his one-time rival in order to get his bearings back.

/

Hermione and Neville appeared in the forest smack dab in the middle of a towering bush. Hermione breathed in sharply and struggled for a moment, her clothes getting caught on the branches as the branches clawed at her face.

"Who's there?!" they heard, and Hermione's wide eyes turned to Neville's.

"Oh fuck," Neville breathed almost silently.

"Show yourself!" Tom screamed, and Hermione could hear him taking footsteps in their direction.

With quick thinking, Hermione conjured a small squirrel and sent it running from the bush. Once it had left the branches she and Neville did their best to stay completely still.

"Oh," Tom breathed, relief in his voice – then, "Avada Kedavra."

They heard his footsteps retreated and they couldn't hear them anymore so Hermione could only assume that he'd entered the cave.

"Shit, we don't have much time – I'm sorry Neville, but I need to change the wards now. Send your patronus!"

Hermione held her hands up and concentrated on the blood wards, pouring her energy into them in order to keep Tom trapped within the castle wards. As she was doing that and Neville was working on pruning back the bush so that they could move and conceal themselves, a murderous scream echoed from the inside of the cave.

"Evanesco," Neville murmured after pulling them both out of the remnants of the bush, and the final bits of bramble, twigs, and leaves vanished. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as Neville threw the invisibility cloak over them. Hermione wanted to stop and see what Tom was going to do, so they moved away from the area the bush was inhabiting, crossing in front of the mouth of the cave and settling on the other side, and not a moment too soon.

"That little bitch!" they heard Tom hiss seconds before steaming out of the cave. Hermione figured he'd just discovered that he was unable to apparate away. He pulled up short and stared at the area where the bush had been standing before he entered the cave.

He approached it slowly, guardedly, with his wand pointed at the area. After blowing the bush to smithereens without anyone running for safety he decided he must be alone.

Hermione wanted to kill him then and there but she knew there was no way – that task was up to Harry and Harry alone. If Hermione tried, Tom probably wouldn't die. That wasn't something she was willing to risk.

Hermione watched in shock as Tom lifted his left sleeve and ran one long, bony finger over the mark there – he was calling his Death Eaters. Her mark didn't burn and she wondered if she'd been officially marked as a traitor or if he'd decided to sever the connection to her now-useless mark.

He whipped his cloak around himself and headed in the general direction of the castle. Having travelled the path herself, Hermione knew it would take him quite a while to make it to Hogwarts, and once Tom had completely disappeared from view she let out several deep breaths, calming herself.

"Well, he knows," Neville said rhetorically, pulling the cloak from around them.

"I'm scared," Hermione admitted, running her hands through her hair.

"You should not be afraid, Hermione Malfoy," a voice said from behind them, causing Hermione to jump violently and whip her wand out as she turned.

Magorian was standing before her and Neville, and a large herd of centaurs could be seen approaching through the thick woods.

"My herd has decided to stand beside you and your husband in this war. We are many and we choose to offer you our alliance."

"Really?" Hermione asked, caught completely off guard. "But why? This is a wizard's war – I didn't think the centaurs worried themselves with matters such as this."

Hermione was distracted by a chittering sound. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several long legs, and had to hold tight to Neville as she realized that dozens of acromantulas had gathered behind her and Neville.

"We normally would not, but we have seen this in the skies for many years. Your herd fights the Darkness and the planets say you may yet win. And it is not only my kin, Hermione Malfoy, but all the creatures of the Forbidden Forest."

Bane walked up, his movements such that Hermione could think of no other description but 'regal.' More centaurs than Hermione could easily count flanked him and Magorian, with clear preparations for war. Magorian stepped back to allow the elder centaur to address the humans. "We have watched the magics change in our lands and we have felt the spring water turn pure once more. Water will quench fire and the balance will be renewed. Tell us, Hermione Malfoy, will you accept the offer of the Forest's help?" He gestured to the acromantulas, and then around them still farther, where Hermione could now see minotaurs, unicorns, and hippogriffs, side by side with their cousins the thestrals, sprites flitting through the trees, and hosts of other creatures – many of whom were in none of the textbooks in the library or Flourish and Blotts – all armed for war.

"Of course," Hermione breathed, disbelieving.

"All creatures who read the stars know that none but Harry Potter can kill the evil lurking in our Forest, but I and my kin will fight with you. We shall drive back the darkness this day."

There was a rippling movement among the herd of centaurs and Neville gasped – each was all carrying a long, menacing looking bow and had quivers full of arrows slung over large, strong shoulders. Some also carried gracefully arched and deadly looking blades.

They each approached and bowed their heads to Hermione before turning away and as one, cantered off in a different direction from the one Tom had taken.

The acromantulas needed no weapons, but the leader, one of Aragog's daughters if Hermione understood the lineage, chittered to her, proclaiming that her clan would fight for Hagrid's sake. They would defend the forest.

The minotaur King spoke for his people, who mined the northeastern edge of the forest. His voice was thick, unaccustomed to human words, and he spun a double sided pick axe as he spoke. Hermione was sure he and his warriors would be able to protect the gates

"That was incredible," Neville commented, his eyebrows raised.

"I can't even believe it," Hermione whispered, still completely shocked. "Oh! We need to get back! Tom's on the move and I need to let Draco know about this new development."

She seized Neville's arm and pulled him through the tight compression of apparation. They landed in the Great Hall and Neville turned and joined Blaise and Theo, who were still speaking to the room from the Dais at the center, getting everyone ready for the battle that was to be taking place.

Hermione scanned the room and couldn't see her husband or Harry, so she turned on her heel and left. She was walking briskly through the hall and down the stairs, her hair fanning out behind her and her cloak billowing in the light breeze when she spotted Draco walking toward her. She picked up the pace and ran to him. He looked concerned as he opened his arms and she jumped into them.

"Tom's here," she started. "He was already at the cave when Neville and I arrived and we heard him find his horcruxes. You'll never guess what's happened!"

Draco put her down and held her a foot away from him so he could inspect her, seemingly looking to ensure that she was alright. "You saw Tom?"

"Yes. He's here."

"Did he see you?"

"I think if he'd seen me I wouldn't be here right now," Hermione answered in exasperation, bursting to tell him about the forest's magical creatures pledging to their cause. She found herself babbling, telling Draco everything that had happened as Harry approached and stopped beside them, his eyebrows raised almost as high as Draco's.

"They support us?" Draco asked incredulously.

"The centaurs never support any wizarding issues," Harry added. "This has got to be a first."

"Either way, it's amazing!"

"We'll definitely take all the help we can get," Draco said, taking her hand and beginning to lead her to the castle, Harry hot on their heels.

"So according to plans we're staying inside until Tom makes his move. I think we can ward just the castle against him so he's unable to get in."

"I still don't think we'll be able to keep him out of the castle indefinitely, Draco. We might be able to slow him down but the castle and grounds magic are all linked – if he's allowed in the grounds, he'll be allowed in the castle."

"Well… we'll slow him down, then until Potter can get to him – he still isn't completely confident about long distance curses."

"I need to finish bottling the rest of the potions that finished brewing this morning and start distributing them, at least Tom decided to show up in between brewing cycles. While I'm doing that I think you guys should help Blaise and Theo get things sorted out – you'll definitely have to find a place for the people who don't want to or can't fight. Ginny, for instance."

"How are you doing Harry?" Hermione asked kindly, he looked a little green around the gills.

"I'm fine, good. I just want this over with… even if I die, Hermione, I want it over with. The world will be a better place and my death will be worth it, you were right about that."

"It might be alright," Hermione said, although it was obvious she didn't truly believe that.

Harry continued on into the Great Hall where everyone was getting riled up for the fight that was about to come.

"I'll go deal with the potions and then I'll be back, okay? Oh, and Draco… Tom called the Death Eaters, I saw him."

"I didn't feel anything," he said as a way of denial.

"Neither did I, but I saw him do it. So I'm sure they're all out there as we speak. I haven't felt anything through the blood wards yet, but when I do I'll let you know."

Draco looked shocked and even a little bit ill, but he swallowed hard and nodded.

"I love you," he called to her as she started down the dungeon stairs. She waved a hand in acknowledgement, calling the sentiment back to him and disappearing from his sight.

/

"I've had a thought," Draco was saying. He, Blaise, Theo, Neville and Harry were all crammed into his and Hermione's suite attempting to eat lunch in quiet, instead of in the busy, loud hall.

"Oh, Lord," Blaise mumbled, sharing a small smile with his husband.

"I died. I'm pretty sure of it."

"You didn't die, Draco, you were knocked out," Theo said before biting into his sandwich. "There's a huge difference," he added, with a mouthful of food that had Blaise's lip curling.

"I wasn't knocked out," Draco denied. "If you don't believe me, then fine, but I know I had died and Hermione is adamant about it as well."

Neville looked disbelieving, Blaise and Theo scoffed, but Harry Potter looked interested.

"What's your thought then?" the bespectacled man asked, leaning forward in his seat a little.

"Well the curse that caught me wasn't intended for me… Tom was actually aiming for Hermione. I would obviously sacrifice myself for her at any opportunity, but I think that had something to do with why I didn't stay dead. I willingly gave my life for hers."

"If that was true then there would be tons of people who would still be alive," Blaise said.

"Unfortunately, Zabini has a point," Harry conceded. "My mother is a perfect example – she gave her life for me and didn't stay alive."

Draco sighed. They didn't seem to understand.

"When I was 'dead' I was in this strange place, I don't know where I was but I did recognize the people. Some of them wanted me to stay and their arguments were very convincing. I'm ashamed to stay that I almost did… it was so peaceful and so inviting… but then I thought of Hermione and how absolutely wrecked she would have been, and I couldn't do it."

"So you chose to come back? Is that what you're saying?"

"I don't know," Draco sighed, aggravated. "I guess you could put it that way. Lord, I wanted to stay there… but I'd rather go through hell to be with Hermione. It's so hard to explain…"

"Does this have a point?" Neville asked bluntly, looking at his watch. "Sorry but we just don't know how long it's going to be before Tom and his followers decide to strike."

"We'll know if they try to get through the wards… I'm actually surprised it's taken so long. Anyway, I do have a point and it's for Potter." Harry's eyes snapped up to his and he seemed to be hanging on to every word. "If you accept that you're going to die and you willingly give yourself up to protect others… maybe there's a way you could come back."

The table went silent and everyone looked at the other, their eyes meeting fleetingly.

Harry's eyes were bulging slightly, understanding clear in them now. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked. "Wouldn't you be happy if I died for good?"

Draco chuckled.

"No, Potter, I wouldn't be happy if you died. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for you, my wife is one of the most understanding and forgiving people I know. I know that even though she's still projecting anger toward you that she does care about you and your death would affect her. I've already said I'll do anything in my power to make sure that she's happy and safe, and having you die would definitely counter the 'happy' part of that pledge."

Blaise and Theo both rolled their eyes and Neville looked completely gobsmacked.

"Well, thanks for the advice," Harry said awkwardly, not sure exactly how to proceed.

"Now you just have to heed it," Draco answered, and held his hand out for Harry to shake. The other man gripped his hand firmly and shook twice before the door of their bedroom burst open and Hermione tripped inside.

"They're attacking the wards! I don't know how but it seems like they're slowly tearing the blood wards down."

"Shit," Draco said, pulling his hand from Harry's grasp and approaching his wife.

"Tom knows nothing about blood wards, though," Theo argued. "There aren't many people alive who know how to do anything with blood wards, Tom told us that himself!"

"Georgios Giannopoulos," Blaise breathed, his eyes wide. "Tom must have finally made him an offer he couldn't refuse."

Everyone at the table looked stricken and Hermione backed away, closing her eyes and focusing as she moved away. She could feel the wards coming down one by one.

"He's working slowly but steadily," she said out loud, picturing the blood wards coming down in her mind. "It'll take them a while to get in if he keeps up this pace, but it's already three in the afternoon. It'll be dark by six… so it looks like this battle will mostly be fought in the dark."

"Good to think ahead so we know what we're expecting. The dark won't cause too much of a problem, I hope, as long as everyone's able to distinguish between sides…"

"There's nothing we can do about that but hope to hell that there aren't any mistakes," Harry said, worrying about things that he wouldn't be able to help. "If there was a way to change that we'd do it, but we don't control when the sun goes down."

"No one does," Hermione said with a sigh. "Maybe we should just ask our side to wear brighter clothes so we're easier to tell apart from the Death Eaters."

"That would just make us all easier targets," Draco pointed out, shaking his head.

"It'll be fine," Theo said dismissively, waving a hand. "What we should actually be thinking about are our plans. We know they're out there trying to get in, shouldn't we do what we decided and set some people up by the gates?"

"Tom's in the forest, it would just be easy pickings for him if we did that," Hermione demurred.

"So we wait," Blaise answered, leaning back in his chair casually.

"We wait," the rest of the group echoed.

/

Waiting was the worst part for everyone. Neville, getting antsy, went to check on Ginny in the Room in the Requirement to see how she was faring. They'd decided the room would be the safest place for Ginny and any of the underage witches and wizards that were brought along to the castle with their parents. Fortunately there were only a handful, and since Ginny was obviously not going to be risking her baby by fighting, she had offered to stay with them and make sure none of them did anything foolish.

Hermione's nerves were jangling on edge as more and more of the blood wards came down and when she could sense that there weren't many left she signalled to her husband and friends and they all left the bedroom Draco and she shared before heading to the Great Hall.

The corridors were empty as they made their way through the castle. The tense quiet did nothing to help Hermione's growing nerves. The roar of noise from the Great Hall was welcoming and she found herself rushing toward it, wanting to be a part of it and have her thoughts elsewhere even for a few seconds.

She had tied her hair into a side braid that draped over her left shoulder while they were waiting in her room and as her husband ascended the stairs to the dais she found herself messing with it, rubbing it and running it through her lips gently.

"Everything will work out, I'm sure," a voice said from behind her, causing her to jump.

"Promise me you guys will be do everything in your power to stay alive," she said to Blaise and Theo, who each leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. "I don't think I can lose anyone else."

"Don't worry about us, beautiful," Theo said, grinning widely at her. "You worry about yourself."

"And Draco," she added.

"No. You worry about yourself," he insisted. "Draco wouldn't want you worrying about everything that's going on with him."

"Well I will anyway, so there's no use fighting it."

Blaise grinned. "Whatever you have to do, Hermione, but if we lose you I'll find a way to bring you back just so I can kill you myself."

Hermione smiled at them both. "I love you guys."

"Love you too," they said to her, Theo gracing her with a lopsided smile while Blaise tried to look encouraging before they turned and went somewhere private for their own goodbyes. It had already been established that Blaise, Theo, Neville, and Justin Finch-Fletchley would be leaders of specific teams – much the way it had been run on Tom's side. The adults in the castle were a little harder to put into groups because they weren't very keen on being led by twenty-somethings, so they were basically left to their own devices to do what was needed to survive and help win the war.

Hermione and Draco would be spending their time with Harry. They'd already decided that he was their top priority until Tom had been destroyed, and they didn't overly trust anyone else to go out of their way to keep him alive. Draco had noticed that even though people had accepted that Potter was there, no one was thrilled about it and people seemed to be taking his presence much less seriously than they should have. It was like they refused to understand that he was the key to ending everything.

Hermione tuned everything out and focused on the wards again. There were only a few left and she opened her eyes, realizing that she hadn't listened to a word of her husband's speech.

"Two wards left!" she yelled, and Draco's head snapped around and his silver eyes pierced into her.

"Everyone needs to get into position! The wards are almost dropped and we have no idea what to expect from Tom. Good luck!"

Draco descended the stairs and his parents popped up in front of him, halting his progress to his wife. He was surprised to see that his mother had her hair braided down the back of her head and she was wearing an outfit that was clearly intended for fighting. Draco stared at her for a moment, completely shocked, but then she grinned at him.

"Did you expect me to go hide with the underaged population?"

"I… I didn't really think about it, to be honest, but I'm definitely surprised you're going to fight."

"Oh, Draco. Your wife isn't the only brave woman in this family."

Draco looked at her outfit a little more closely.

"You're wearing pants!"

"Well I can hardly fight in a dress, dear."

Draco looked at his father, his mouth hanging open. "We believe in fighting for what is right," he said with a small shrug. Draco closed his mouth and turned back to his mother, who pulled him into a tight hug.

"Be safe out there," she whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

"Everything will be fine," he assured, pulling away from her and looking around for Hermione. "This has to be done."

"Go find your wife," Narcissa said, pushing him away slightly. "We'll see the two of you when this is all over with."

"Good luck, son," Lucius said, giving Draco a hearty clap on the back as they walked out of the hall to position themselves for the upcoming fight.

Draco saw Hermione standing by the doors now, running her braid through her lips in nervousness. He approached her and the look of pure fear she gave him had his heart pounding. He understood that even though she'd been in quite a few fights in her time, there was never any way to know how things were going to happen and turn out. Tom was one of the strongest wizards in the world and they were about to face off with him and his followers.

"They're down," she whispered, her hands getting clammy.

"All of them?" he asked sharply, looking around for Potter.

"Every last one."

"Let's go then," he said, taking her hand and pulling her along. "We've got this."

"I'm just nervous. I'm sure once things start I'll be fine," she said, and then gave a hysterical little giggle.

"Where's Potter?"

"Here," Harry answered, approaching from the side.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Let's do this," Draco called, giving Hermione's hand a quick squeeze


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N- SORRY! I'm in a wedding next weekend so it's been a very busy week trying to get everything finished! Thank you to my beta Nina and to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed this story! Almost done, now!**

 **Please review!**

 **Chapter Thirty One**

The second Draco shouted, "Let's do this," a massive black shadow – so dense you couldn't see through it – forced its way into the castle through every possible opening.

Hermione shrieked and let go of Draco's hand, whipping her wand out and shouting, "Expecto Patronum!" without a second of hesitation. Harry and Draco caught on almost immediately and cast their own patronus charms, hoping to keep the impenetrable mass at bay.

Their charms were barely making a difference as the huge swarm of at least four hundred dementors flew through the halls of the school. Hermione heard screams of terror coming from every direction and she did the first thing that popped into her head: she gripped Draco's and Harry's hands, pulling them through the large double doors and down the front steps of the school, jostling through everyone else who'd had the same idea.

As more and more people crowded through the doors and spilled into the snowy night, the dementors came back, swooping low over the crowd. Hermione watched a mousy-haired woman who'd been staying in the castle collapse in front of a dementor and she again tried to cast her patronus charm.

"Fuck, this isn't working!" she screamed, terror flooding her senses.

"There are way too many," Harry agreed, pulling Hermione and Draco farther away while wondering why the Death Eaters weren't attacking in the face of their current vulnerability.

"Draco!" they heard, and they all turned their heads to see Neville in the distance standing beside the forest, waving his arms.

"What the hell is he doing?"

"Neville!" Hermione called back, and before anyone could even begin to understand what was happening, the ground started shaking.

Unicorns were thundering out of the forest by the dozens, heading directly for the group of dementors. Their pure-white bodies made the snow around them look grey and dirty and they were dazzling compared to the darkening skies.

The first unicorn careened toward the group and with a massive heave, leaped into the air. It thrust its beautiful head upward and its spiral horn disappeared beneath the too large hood covering the dementor's head, and as the horn pulled free Hermione was horrified but also morbidly fascinated by the slimy green entrails that clung to its horn. Landing lightly, it continued on as the dementor fell to the snowy ground in a heap. The unicorn found its next target and leapt into the air again, joined now by its brethren as they started taking dementors out with precise head shots.

"Did you know that unicorns are able to kill dementors?" Hermione asked Draco, completely enthralled.

"No, I didn't, but we can't just stand here…Hermione, let's go." Draco took her by the arm and pulled her away, heading for the forest.

"I don't think Tom is in there," Hermione said as she gasped for breath.

"Why?"

"Well the centaurs said the forest was on our side and I think if Tom was still in there he'd be in for a bad surprise."

"Let's just get under the trees for a moment so we can decide what to do."

They ducked under the foliage and Hermione was hard pressed to catch her breath. Her lungs were screaming from breathing so hard in the frigid air. _Why couldn't we have done this in summer?_

"Do you think Tom will be fighting?" Harry asked Draco, trying to get a handle on the man he needed to kill.

"No," Draco answered shortly, and then they all jumped in surprise when screams tore through the evening air. It seemed that a full-pitch battle had begun in just the time it took for them to run from the castle doors to the forest. Hermione could see coloured beams of light shooting every which way, some connecting with small figures in the distance and dropping them easily on both sides of the fight.

"Jesus," Harry muttered, watching with a sad look on his face.

"Anyway, I don't think he's fighting. When we were under the poisons and potions to do his bidding he would always talk about fighting with us but since I've regained my true memories I know that isn't the case. He'd go through the effort of making it look like he wanted to fight with us but he actually sat at the manor waiting for us to get back. He's hiding somewhere. We just need to find him."

"We need to move," Hermione said after a moment of watching the fighting. "I can't just stand here and watch this."

"We need to figure out where Tom is," Draco snapped, then his forehead furrowed into a contrite expression. "Sorry, I'm just tense."

Harry snorted out a small laugh and Hermione turned to him slowly, a pressing look on her face.

"Enter his mind, Harry."

"What?"

"Lower your Occlumency shields and connect with him like you used to do years ago; he has to be around here somewhere."

"I haven't done that in a long time, Hermione. I don't even know if I can anymore."

"Try," Draco growled, frustration evident in his voice.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly while closing his eyes, focusing his attention on trying to get into Tom's head. If he could see anything, anything at all, they'd be better off than grubbing around in the grounds searching while trying to avoid being killed.

Hermione saw his eyebrows draw together before he fell to his knees and moments later he snapped his eyes open and said, "He's in the headmaster's office, looking over the grounds at the fighting."

"Of course he'd want to watch it," Draco snarled.

"Why the headmaster's office?" Hermione wondered aloud as a large moon peeked out from behind the cloud cover.

"I'm sure he fancies himself ruling the school, Hermione. He was pretty gleeful when we took over the castle and the grounds."

The screams from the snow-covered lawn echoed across the grounds again and Hermione turned on her heel quickly, watching as dogs bounded through the front gates and started attacking Death Eaters and the light side alike.

"They can't tell who is who while in their werewolf form," Hermione gasped, her hands itching to go out and fight.

"You two should go fight," Harry said after a second of watching. "I know where Tom is, and I know how to finish it."

"No," Draco growled, turning to Harry. "We're not leaving you! We'll make our way back to the castle together and do what we need to do. We can end this!"

"Draco, we don't need to hold his hand…"

"No, Hermione. We're going with him."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at her husband's insistence, confused about why he was so determined to stay with Harry. There was nothing they could do to help him but she wasn't going to argue about something so inconsequential while standing in a forest, surrounded by carnage.

"All right," she answered, feeling like they were wasting too much time. "Let's go, then."

Hermione turned and started back toward the castle's front lawn, shivering from the cold air and standing still for so long, jolting every time she heard a particularly loud scream. The werewolves were howling and yipping while attacking. Even though only a few minutes had passed, it seemed like there were already fewer of them on the grounds.

Draco was rushing along beside her and took her hand, pulling her along the edge of the forest until they were closer to the school so they wouldn't have to pass across the large fight. She shivered when she glanced behind her and saw acromantulas pouring out of the forest, their many legs scurrying across the snow in a jumble, their clicking pincers meeting her ears and making her shudder.

Harry pulled ahead and began leading them through shadows cast by the castle, tripping through the snow. Hermione, who was much shorter than the boys, was almost knee deep. She started lagging behind slightly, struggling through the deep drifts, and was close enough to see the entrance doors when she was taken down from behind. A rough, short scream tore from her throat before she was face down, sputtering in the snow. A sharp pain ripped through her right leg. She squirmed enough to turn herself around and screamed again.

A werewolf was crouched inches away from her, his hackles raised, sharp teeth bared, and his fur soaked with snow and blood. The low growl emitting from its throat was enough to make Hermione's hair stand on end as she tried to avoid eye contact. The pain in her calf was excruciating and her eyes fell on the front paw of the wolf. Seeing her blood staining the long claws was enough to make her want to cry, but the werewolf began advancing on her. She lifted a hand, frantically thinking the curse that would knock the animal out. The red stupefy spell shot from her hand and hit the werewolf in the neck, dropping him with a loud yelp.

Draco was trudging back through the snow toward her as quickly as he could. He gripped her underneath her armpits as the unconscious wolf sunk into the snow drift, almost disappearing from their view.

Hermione was panting with the effort of running through the snow, her blood marring its whiteness as Draco drug her along, hissing at her beneath his voice about her stupidity and recklessness with her own life. They scrambled through the castle doors just as a spell crashed into the stone above their heads; Hermione twisted quickly to see if someone was aiming for them or if it had been a ricochet.

Her stomach dropped as she watched a fiery red head dodging through the crowds, fighting against everyone in his path, light and dark, in order to reach her and her husband.

Ron had made his appearance.

Draco pulled her away from the door, waving his hand at her leg as they rushed through the halls. She felt a cool tingling in her calf and knew that it had been healed, but they didn't have a moment to spare since Harry had gone ahead to confront Tom when Draco fell back to assist Hermione and they didn't want to leave him alone with the psychotic man for too long – it was up to them to ensure that Harry killed Tom and it wasn't a task they were taking lightly.

She didn't stop to tell her husband that she'd seen Ron chasing them because they had bigger things to worry about, and since their side had been fairly successful at holding the Death Eaters back, and none of them were overly fond of Ron either, she wouldn't be surprised if it took him a while to find her.

Draco was gripping her hand so tightly that she was losing feeling in her fingers, determined not to let her fall behind again. She tried breathing through the stitch in her side and continued running beside her husband toward the Headmaster's office.

"Can we slow down?" Hermione asked, her breathing rough. "I can barely breathe."

"I don't want to leave Potter alone with Tom for too long," Draco said, but he slowed fractionally so that Hermione wouldn't be a complete tired mess by the time they'd made it to the office. She was much stronger than she'd been a year previously because of all the training Draco had put her through, but they'd run quite a way and the castle was large.

"I just need to catch my breath," Hermione said, her lungs burning.

"We'll walk the rest of the way – we're close, anyway."

Hermione and Draco made their walk quick, and before she knew it they were turning into the corridor that held the Headmaster's office, their breathing back to normal and the pain in Hermione's leg completely gone.

The stone gargoyle that usually guarded the office was blasted away, laying in different fragments along the hallway and the stone staircase that was usually behind him was moving continuously, much like an escalator Hermione could remember riding in muggle malls.

Draco stopped and stooped toward her suddenly, placing a light lingering kiss on Hermione's lips before taking her hand and pulling her onto the staircase. She sighed and steeled herself for what they were about to step into.

They could hear raised voices within the room and Hermione began running up the moving stairs to reach the top even faster, Draco hot on her heels.

"Avada Kedavra!" they heard Tom's voice scream, seconds before Hermione batted the door open and they spilled inside.

Hermione breathed in harshly when she spotted both Harry and Tom laying across from each other on the floor of the office. Harry looked happy and calm, which was surprising enough in itself, and Tom was still clutching his wand in his hand tightly, looking pained.

Hermione dropped to Harry's side as Draco pointed his own wand at Tom and bound the man.

"I'm not taking any chances," he said in a low voice to Hermione, his eyes narrowed at the snake-like man. Hermione summoned Tom's wand and passed it to Draco.

"Just for good measure," she said with a small smile before looking sadly at the wizard laying on the floor by her side.

"Good thinking," they heard a voice say from above them. Hermione stilled instantly. "You can never be too safe."

Her head snapped up and she found that she was looking into the twinkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. The portrait was looking down at Hermione and Draco with shock – they'd rushed to Harry's side to make sure he was okay instead of checking out Tom, and they'd even bound him and disarmed him. Albus never thought he'd see the day where the two Death Eater's would be openly supporting Harry Potter.

Harry groaned before Hermione had a chance to say anything to the portrait, and she looked back down at her friend. Draco, however, stood still and glared at their former headmaster, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as her bespectacled friend started stirring. "He's alive!"

"Yes, Miss Granger. He willingly sacrificed himself for the greater good; therefore his magic was able to override what the killing curse would have done. Tom killed the horcrux inside Harry himself, which I'm sure everyone would be surprised to hear. I'm so glad Harry was able to learn everything from what I'd told him."

"You didn't teach him shit, you pathetic old man, other than how to murder people and push his friends away. I'm the one who told Harry that if he willingly died he'd probably be able to come back and Hermione's the one who informed him about the horcrux within him. And her name is Mrs. Malfoy."

"Hermione?" Harry asked, his voice raspy and broken. "Draco?"

Harry sat up quickly before swaying slightly and Hermione reached out to steady him as Tom started thrashing around in his binds.

"Is he dead?!" Tom asked the ceiling, sensing there were more people in the room.

"No, Tom, I don't believe he is," Draco answered, swaggering forward and sneering down his nose, disgust evident in his features.

Tom's eyes widened for a moment, shocked at seeing Draco standing before him.

"Draco! Let me out of these bonds so I can finish this!"

"I don't think so, Tom," Draco said, his hands in his pockets.

"That's Harry Potter over there, Draco," Tom said, his voice ragged silk. "Harry Potter, the boy who allowed your wife to be raped and tortured before coming along and trying to finish her off. Harry Potter, the boy who told his friend he would kill her while you sat by and watched, unable to do anything but see the lights leave her eyes."

Hermione was helping Harry to his feet, but her head snapped around when she realized what Tom was saying, what he was trying to do. Hermione left Harry's side and went to her husband, glaring disgustedly down at Tom, who began struggling against his bonds again.

"I don't think Harry's indiscretions were anywhere as bad as yours, Tom," she said, her hand clenching her husband's arm tightly.

"Tom's indiscretions?" Dumbledore's portrait asked, surprise in his voice.

"Indiscretions? I fought a war," the man in the bonds denied. "I only did everything I needed to do to win."

"That could be said for anyone," Draco said, his hands clenching. "You lied and tricked everyone, Tom, and that's why I'm standing over here waiting for Harry Potter to finish you off." Tom opened his mouth to speak, maybe to deny Draco's claims or rub them in his face, but they never got to hear what he was going to say because at the moment his mouth opened, his ruby eyes glaring daggers at the Malfoys, a bolt of green light hit him directly in the face and ceased his movements.

There was a thick silence in the air for a few moments before they heard a hearty, "Well done, Harry!" from the portrait behind them.

"Shut up," Harry said under his breath, staring at Tom to make sure he was actually dead and wouldn't come back the way that both Draco and Harry had done.

"I'm so glad you've read into everything I managed to tell you and get this done."

Draco clenched his jaw again but held out his hand to Harry, gripping it tightly in a congratulatory shake.

"I guess we should go inform everyone," Hermione started, turning toward the window. They could see that the fight was still raging on and it looked as though there were giants in the mix now. Hermione held up her hand and shot out her patronus so it could search for Isobel and get the pages of journals flashing through the sky.

"I can't believe you found the horcruxes, Harry! I didn't even know what they all were but you did it! And in such a short amount of time. I'm so glad you were able to take all of my teachings and apply them to your life."

"SHUT UP!" Harry roared, spinning around and pointing his wand at the portrait threateningly. "You didn't teach me anything worth my time," Harry growled. Dumbledore looked completely shocked by Harry's outburst.

"I taught you plenty! Such as the information about the horcruxes! I taught you to fight and live and get through everything you needed to in order to be here today! I'm the one who taught you…"

"Taught me how to attack innocents and turn my back on the people who really matter to me. You taught me how to throw everything away and focus on myself and what I wanted – only what I wanted – without worrying about what I was doing to those people around me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Dumbledore started, his eyes hard and cold. "I only did what I had to do in order to win this war."

"You sound exactly like Voldemort!" Harry yelled. "He said the exact same thing a few minutes ago, dammit, and while I'm glad he's gone and I'm still alive, I'm the one who sacrificed myself! You sacrificed nothing!"

"I sacrificed you," Dumbledore said. Hermione and Draco's eyes widened and Harry stared at the portrait unflinchingly for a moment before he whipped out his wand and screamed, "Bombarda!"

The portrait exploded into millions of pieces, fluttering around the room and landing on Tom's body, covering him in the canvas and dried paint chips.

"If you didn't do that, I probably would have," Draco admitted, grinning at Harry. Hermione patted both men on the back before turning away and opening the door, gesturing for them to leave. The staircase was still moving but Hermione held up her hand and caused it to switch directions so they were able to get back down into the corridor.

Hermione saw that Isobel had managed to get the journals projecting into the sky, judging by the bright light that kept flashing through the windows as they made their way back to the grounds. It was going to be messy trying to ensure everyone who had been tricked weren't arrested and taken away, but seeing as how Harry had lived and he was still the 'Saviour' according to most of the world… his word would help.

Hermione looked at her left arm, wondering and hoping that since Tom's death that her Dark Mark would be gone. Her heart sank when she spied the black smudge still imprinted there, but she shook herself and decided to think about it later.

She followed Harry and Draco outside, examining her arm as they went through the large doors but they stopped abruptly on the top step. She was shocked out of her musings by the amount of fighting that was still taking place in the cold night, the giants were being taken down by the hippogriffs, which were flying around frantically and screeching before flying talon-first into the giants' faces. The remaining dementors were nowhere to be seen and Hermione wondered if they sensed that their master was no more.

She gazed toward the sky and saw that Isobel had, indeed, gotten the journal flashing through the dark skies and as Hermione watched there were people in dark robes who looked confused and stopped fighting. The Death Eaters who weren't affected by the change in the atmosphere continued fighting as Aurors pushed through the crowds and started their own fights, clearly wanting to arrest them but having to stop them first.

"Looks like it's starting to calm down," Harry whispered, noticing that Draco looked a little crestfallen that he wasn't even a part of the fight. "Don't worry about it, Draco," he started, sensing his new friend's remorse at being unable to help. "You did enough by helping me. Hell, if you hadn't tied him up…"

"Well, well, well," a voice said, cutting Harry off mid-sentence. "Look who it is."

Everyone turned in shock at the voice approaching from the lawns and Hermione wanted to scream at herself for forgetting to tell Draco that he was on the property.

"Ron," Harry said, stunned. He'd honestly hoped he wouldn't have to see his former friend ever again, not after everything. "What… what are you doing here?"

"Didn't think I'd miss the fight, did you?" he asked, smiling cheekily. "Hermione," he said, with an incline of his head, "beautiful, as always."

She bristled and Draco turned suddenly, his eyes hard as ice chips as he looked at the man he'd vowed to obliterate. He lifted his wand in fury but before he could think of anything to do a spell flew by his face from the side, missing by inches. Draco spun around in bewilderment and saw Molly Weasley standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Not my son, you bastard!"

"Molly!" Harry cried, shocked by the appearance of Ron's mum. Especially when she was somewhere she had no business being.

"Mum helped me get in the castle," Ron informed them as Draco's eyes darted between Ron and his mum, unsure what to do. "She thought it would be oh so nice if the three of us, meaning Hermione, Harry and I, could talk things through and be friendly again."

"Talk things through?" Hermione whispered in shock as her eyes narrowed. Harry looked to Hermione to see how she was going to handle things and saw that she was glaring fiercely at the man before her. How Ron thought it would be a good idea to even so much as utter the words 'friendly again' toward Hermione was completely mind boggling.

Hermione felt frozen, and not from the cold air biting at her fingers and nose. Shock of seeing the man who'd raped her and killed her parents hadn't put fire in her veins; instead she was filled with ice water.

"How dare you?!" Draco shouted, turning away from Molly and toward Ron forcefully, his breath freezing in clouds as it panted from his lips.

"You have no business being here!" Molly shouted out of the blue, seeming to take Draco's words personally. She brandished her wand at Draco and seemed surprised when a spell shot out of it and hit him in the arm. Draco started and looked down at his bicep to see a thin cut across it. "You're a nasty little boy who has done nothing for Hermione but ruin her life!"

Those words seemed to shock Hermione out of her stupor and she turned to Molly first, laughing a slightly hysterical, yet somehow bitter laugh.

"You don't know a fucking thing, Molly! I don't even understand how you can be standing here saying those things when you saw the memories! You saw them all!"

"Obviously tampered memories," Molly spat, throwing another hex at Draco. He dodged it and started fighting back, enraged. It only took moments before they were in a full on duel with one another, spells zipping between the two so quickly it was making Harry feel nauseated.

"What?!" Hermione almost screamed, her voice a pitch higher than usual as she started shaking in rage.

"You showed my mum the memories you concocted?!" Ron asked, suddenly angry. Hermione spun on him, her wand pointing directly at his heart and Harry felt torn. Those memories had been the turning point of his allegiance and if they were faked then he wasn't sure what to think.

 _Hermione wouldn't fake that_ , a voice in his head reminded him. _You doubted her once and it wouldn't be wise to do it again._

Hermione turned to him with sad eyes, hoping beyond hope that Harry wouldn't betray her again, and as she was looking at him pleadingly Ron whipped out his wand in the blink of an eye and screamed, "Crucio!"

She fell to her knees at the top of the stone stairs before tumbling down them as she began screaming and writhing. Draco turned at the sound of her screams and Molly disarmed him in one second and caught him with a hex that had him doubling over in pain as his eyes started watering in the next.

He snarled and straightened up after a moment, clearly furious by everything that was taking place. He turned to the large witch in front of him with a plan, and with the element of surprise he shot an inconsequential curse toward Molly and as she was busy blocking it he immediately shot another one at her. Ropes flew from his hand and bound her tightly, dropping her to the floor as they wound around her legs and arms, her eyes wide with shock about the fact that Draco just managed to bind her without his own wand.

"Expelliarmus!" he called, catching both her wand and his, that had been clenched in her other hand, in mid-air as she struggled against the bonds.

As Draco was fighting with Molly, Harry turned to Ron and caught the unsuspecting man off guard, stupefying him with only a split second of hesitation and causing him to tumble down the stairs just as Hermione had. He believed in Hermione whole-heartedly and knew that she was too broken from what he and Ron had done to her – she couldn't fake everything she'd been going through. Ron dropped to the ground with a loud thump and Hermione stopped writhing immediately. Draco snatched Molly's and his own wand out of the air and went to his wife. She had only been held under the curse for a few moments so she thankfully wasn't going to suffer any after effects, but she'd also fallen down the stairs and Draco needed to ensure that she wasn't hurt.

"What should we do with him?" Harry asked quietly, turning away from his former friend.

"You should leave for a minute or two, Potter," Draco answered tightly. He was holding Hermione to his chest and tears were streaming down her cheeks but she was also glaring fiercely at the man who was unconscious on the ground.

"What are you going to do?"

"You don't want to know." Draco let go of Hermione and turned to Molly in one fluid motion, knocking her unconscious as well. Harry took that as a bad sign.

"I'll just try and help the Aurors, then," he said quietly, averting his eyes and walking away quickly.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N- SORRY AGAIN! What a hectic few weeks I just had! Thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed and to those who haven't given up on this story even though it ended up being WAY longer than I had originally planned and had a lot more twists and turns than even I had anticipated. This is the last real chapter - there is still an epilogue to post and as soon as I receive it back from my beta I'll post it. Thanks again to everyone for being so awesome and giving me so much support! You're all amazing!**

 **Also thank you to my beta, Nina, and to KomeKozzy425 for being the most awesome people ever!**

 **Please review!**

 **Chapter Thirty-Two**

Draco bound Ron in ropes before levitating him and marching across the grounds and toward the forest. Hermione trailed behind him slowly, due to the stitch in her side from being held under the Cruciatus Curse. Hermione and Draco stayed in the shadows of the castle, avoiding anyone looking for an easy target, hoping the fighting would die down soon. Hermione realized she should have thanked Harry for helping her but she hadn't been thinking clearly. She'd make sure to say something to him later.

They didn't venture too far into the forest, walking just long enough so that no one would stumble on Ron's body anytime soon. Draco released his spells, letting his body drop roughly onto the frozen forest floor, which was devoid of snow because of the surrounding trees. He stripped the ropes from him, then woke him up with a well-aimed 'Ennervate'.

"Wha's happ'nin," Ron mumbled, rolling over onto his hands and knees before trying to pull himself to his feet.

Hermione strode forward determinedly and kicked him the side, flipping him onto his back on the forest floor.

Ron's eyes widened as he gazed up at Hermione and Draco, realizing how completely fucked he was. He must have let his guard down at just the wrong moment. They weren't supposed to catch him, dammit! Hermione's eyes were blazing with fury, glaring down at him with pure hate. What scared Ron more was the way Draco was standing to the side watching him with cold, cruel eyes.

Hermione kicked him again, his kidney exploding with pain as her boot sunk into him.

"Fuck you," she yelled, but she seemed controlled, and he shivered in sudden fear. Ron remembered his wand and raised his hand, but with just a small flick of Draco's hand his wand was dangling loosely from the blond's grip.

"As far as I can remember, the night you attacked Hermione you took her wand away from her. I don't know why you feel that you should get privileges that she didn't," Draco said tightly, unblinking eyes fixed on the bleeding mess before him.

"Engorgio," Hermione said calmly, pointing her wand at Ron's ankle, which began to swell immediately. Hermione kicked him in the swollen ankle harshly and laughed lightly when he groaned in pain. He was still flailing in an attempt to get to his feet to inflict his own damage. Hermione laughed again as he struggled, but she let him stand up without too much concern – something that should have gotten Ron's attention. He lunged at Hermione on his bad ankle and she danced out of his way, laughing as he growled with frustration and pain while limping along, trying to catch her.

The blow Draco landed to the side of his throat came out of nowhere and caught him completely off guard. The fist hit him so hard that he flipped backward and actually went skidding a few feet across the frozen ground. His esophagus felt like it was going to collapse and he was struggling for breath, his ears ringing with Hermione's laughter. His vision went spotty for a moment.

"What the fuck?" he managed to choke out, his sight clearing as he looked between Draco and Hermione.

"I've seen everything you put her through, you fucking piece of shit, and I'm just going to warn you now that you should expect the same."

Ron's eyes widened with worry as he reeled backward away from Draco, who chuckled darkly for a moment.

"I'm not going to rape you, Weasley," he drawled, "but I am going to hurt you almost as badly as you hurt her."

Ron started scrambling away on the heels of his hands and his feet, his ankle screaming in protest as he scurried away from the intimidating man looming above him.

"Ah, ah, ah," Draco said, waving his finger in the air. "Diffindo."

The spell was shooting directly for his chest and Ron did the exact same thing Hermione had done all those months before. He put his hand up to ward off the curse. Instead of catching him between his fingers, Draco's curse caught him diagonally, cutting his four fingers off completely and leaving a small stump of palm and his thumb.

"Does that hurt, motherfucker?!" Hermione yelled at Ron as he screamed hoarsely, her eyes alight with a strange gleam. Draco chuckled lightly beside her, like it was the funniest thing he'd ever witnessed. Ron's field of vision narrowed again with the shock of losing most of his hand and Hermione grinned while she and her husband waited for his surprise to wane slightly.

He blinked up at them after a few moments and said, "Fuck you."

Draco growled and launched himself onto Ron in the next second, losing his head completely. Draco's hands and feet whirled around, ugly red and purple welts blossoming on the freckled skin everywhere Draco could reach. With a sickening crack, Ron's left arm shattered above the elbow, blood dripping off the exposed bone. Hermione pulled at his shoulder, breaking him from his stupor. Draco glanced down at her, then back, and realized that Ron's injuries were too severe. If he didn't want this to end soon, he needed to change tack. The huddled redhead was looking the worse for wear – his nose was definitely broken and he had splits all over his face. Draco sighed, waving his wand in a complicated pattern that sloppily patched up some of the worst wounds. Skin stretched to cover irregularly shaped bones and his lip deflated enough to let him talk.

"You know that Greg Goyle and Vince Crabbe were two of our closest friends?"

Ron looked surprised at the information and also a little bit wary.

"I guess you didn't know that. Well, we happen to know that you were the one who killed them, but not before a nice healthy dose of torture first." Draco was back to his cold persona, not wanting Weasley to see how affected he'd been by his friends' deaths.

"We saw their bodies," Hermione added. "We know what you did to them, Ron, and I think you should know that we're here to return the favour." She was trembling with rage. "I don't know what you did to my parents and I don't really want to, but I'll be returning the one favour I know for sure about on their behalf, as well."

Hermione's voice got lower and darker as she spoke; if Ron could have gotten to his feet and run away, he would have. Draco flicked his wand at him and pain like Ron had never before experienced wracked his entire body. Strips of skin were peeling off of his legs, but so slowly that he could feel every single nerve tearing away.

Ron passed out twice from the pain and Hermione's boot woke him up cruelly, not allowing him to drop down into unconsciousness to avoid the distressing feelings coursing through him.

The next time they allowed Ron a brief, pain-wracked respite, Draco, instead of Hermione, had his wand trained on him. Hermione approached Ron's left side, her eyes narrowed in hate.

"Remember when you chopped off Greg's arm?" Hermione asked, her voice sickly sweet.

Ron's eyes widened again and he choked out, "No, no, no, no, no," but Hermione grinned and touched her wand to his arm. It wasn't immediate and it wasn't a clean cut. The curse she used caused a shallow cut, in the beginning, to form on his arm just near his bicep. Like an invisible saw it was slowly hacking into his arm, the cut got deeper and rougher and Ron's screams got louder. He even began to plead for his life, by the end of it.

Hermione laughed when he passed out again once the cut was bone deep, but Draco immediately had him awake so he could feel everything. Minutes later he was not only missing most of his right hand, but his left arm was completely severed as well.

"You're lucky I'm not into rape or sodomy," Draco said conversationally as he and Hermione exchanged a glance. He nodded at her after casting a quick 'tempus' and checking the time.

They needed to finish this and get back to Harry and the Aurors, hoping to lend a hand in figuring out which Death Eaters were operating under the poisons and potions and those who were there of their free will – like Bellatrix Lestrange. They'd been in the woods much longer than they'd originally planned.

"I hope you rot in hell," Hermione said, raising her wand and pointing it the sallow skinned, sweaty faced Ron Weasley. His eyes widened as they rolled around in his sockets and he said, "Please, Hermione."

She met his eyes for a moment and he managed to look slightly relieved, almost like he thought she wouldn't do it. She smiled at him and his hair stood on end from the look in her eyes – pure hate.

Wordlessly, Hermione cast a bubble-head charm. Ron slumped in relief, having expected an immediate return to agony, but the curl in the corner of Hermine's lip told Draco she had something particular in mind. Concentrating, she enlarged the bubble around Ron's head, pouring magic into the spell and shifting its intent.

"W-what are you doing, Hermione?" Ron gasped, his chest heaving with the onset of panic.

She tutted at him with prim reproach. "Now, Ronald, calm down. After all, you've brought this all upon yourself with your horrible actions over the last year." The lanky man began clawing at the bubble, trying to burst it, but it stretched and gave under his fingers. The freckles stood out like constellations on his bloodless face. "I could just kill you. You've wasted more of our time than we'd planned to spend on a raping mongrel like you. In many ways, I'd prefer to end it that way-quickly enough that you never get the chance to notice your life ending. I'd like to see that." She paused, chewing on a fingernail she'd ripped while beating the taller man to a pulp. "But I find that…I can't bring myself to make it so easy."

Ron stopped struggling and looked up in shock. A tiny seed of hope grew inside him. She couldn't do it, the bitch, and the second she tried to restrain him he'd end her and her fucking prissy husband. He could finish them both by hand and then return to the castle, the tragically wounded hero who'd failed to save them.

"So, to business. I've deactivated the sustaining aspects of the bubble-head charm, but enlarged it to give you more time. You won't suffocate for another fifteen minutes or so. Of course, the more oxygen you use up screaming, the sooner it'll be."

She stepped off to the side, indicating the redhead's wand. "I've left your wand in stasis here, under charms that will allow you to grasp the handle if you can prove that you're innocent, less than fifty feet away from you. All you have to do is summon it. Or, I suppose, release my charms and drag your bloody carcass over to it, and upon touching your wand it'll determine the truth." She smirked; he had never been able to perform wandless magic and they both knew the things he had done. "So you see, Ron, it's all up to you whether you die or not. Kind of like those witch trials in North America," she mused to her husband, whose eyes were ablaze with pride and mirth, "if you are truly as innocent as you claim, you will survive this ordeal. Since, however, you are an utter cocksucking wanker, good bye and good riddance."

Grabbing the cloak she'd discarded earlier and settling it about her shoulders, Hermione made to leave the clearing, followed by her husband. Ron's vulgar and threatening screams stopped her.

"You're entirely right. And to think, I almost forgot… this is in case you are just like your fucking rat, and manage to escape." And she cast another cutting curse at him, this one ensuring he would never rape another person.

/

They walked in silence until they got back to the edge of the forest, their hands clasped together as they strained their ears in hopes of hearing what was happening on the sloping grounds above them. It sounded like there was still a large fight taking place and they glanced at each other before taking off, their legs pumping through the deep snow as they ran up the hill, and saw the Death Eaters who hadn't been drugged fighting even harder than before. Hermione was barely aware of the stitch in her side from the torture curse she'd received at Ron's hands, running up the hill fueled by adrenaline.

A lot of people seemed to be missing, and Hermione absently wondered if some of the Death Eaters, realizing what had happened, had disappeared so they could process the lies they'd been told without being captured by Aurors and held accountable for actions they couldn't have controlled.

"How have they not been taken into custody yet?" Hermione yelled, whipping out her wand as she dodged a putrid-looking yellow curse flying in her direction.

"They're fighting even harder now! And remember, we aren't against just the Death Eaters, anymore!" Justin answered as he ran by her, Draco disappearing from her side as he saw his aunt up ahead inflicting pain on someone who was tied up.

"Why are they fighting more?!" Hermione asked, confused. What had they missed while they were in the forest?

"The Death Eaters still have the same ideals as they did an hour ago, Hermione! Just because Tom is dead doesn't mean they're suddenly going to stop fighting for what they believe in."

Hermione turned quickly, hearing a soft laughter behind her that startled her momentarily. She screamed out a hex as a masked Death Eater lunged at her, hitting him in the mask and making him trip to the side of her as he clutched it to his face. "Incarcerous!" she yelled at his fallen form, only stopping for a few seconds to watch the ropes tie him up before diving fully into the fight.

She had to be careful, though, and had to ensure she didn't take any more Cruciatus curses.

She was dueling a slightly pudgy Death Eater when an arrow shot through the air out of nowhere and went directly through the side of his neck. Hermione turned in horrified surprise to see Blaise standing with a group of centaurs, picking people off consistently with precise aim.

"Secondaries," Hermione whispered to herself, suddenly remembering the blades strapped under her clothes. She'd been wearing them for so long that she'd grown accustomed to the feel of them. She probably didn't need them, but the thought of using them and catching people off guard seemed like a good call if she lost her wand. With her magical energy depleted, wandless magic wouldn't last very long.

/

Draco was running full tilt at his aunt – the woman who'd hurt his mother and threatened to kill her in front of all of the Death Eaters. That just wouldn't do. He could see that she had someone tied up in front of her and was using some kind of modified burning hex on the screaming person – something that just did not sit right with him at all.

He held out his hand as he was running and once he was close enough and had summoned enough energy he screamed, "Expelliarmus," at the top of his voice. The spell was so strong that the ground, which had basically no snow on it since it'd been so trampled, cracked in a jagged line between him and his aunt, who looked up at him in shock as her wand flew from her fingers and sailed far into the crowd.

She screamed her frustration and Draco grinned at her.

"You ratted out your own sister and allowed her to be tied up in the dungeon of her own home," Draco started, his wand held on Bellatrix threateningly as he advanced. He saw Potter take down Amycus Carrow a few yards away and couldn't help but to grin wider. "You told Tom about our bond, how it could have gotten us out from underneath his thumb, but the worst of all is, Aunt Bella, is that you weren't even under the influence of Tom's lies. You wanted to do everything you've done, and that disgusts me!"

"You're the disgusting one," Bella started, but Draco cut her off.

"You're now torturing a student of Hogwarts, who has no business being here in the first place, while he's tied up and unable to defend himself – you're vile and despicable, Bella."

Her face was contorted with rage and Draco aimed carefully before shooting a 'Diffindo' curse at the young man who was tied up at his aunt's feet, wanting to cut the binds away. Harry deflected a spell from Amycus Carrow's wand a few feet away and it hit the beam of light Draco had sent toward the boy, deflecting the cutting curse towards his aunt, who didn't see what was coming until it caught her right in the stomach and ripped a large gash into her flesh. She choked on her scream of rage at the fact that Draco was going to free her victim and then groaned before looking down, surprised to see the entrails hanging from her body and the blood pouring from her stomach. She moaned, falling forward.

"Holy shit," Draco exclaimed, his eyes wide. He rushed forward and freed the boy who was screaming because of the blood he was covered with, undoing the knots on his binds and sending him on his way. He was standing up, shouting at the boy to get back into the safety of the castle when it hit him.

He was on his knees suddenly, his bones burning right through to the marrow and his nerve endings firing constantly, causing him to twitch and moan in pain.

Harry, who had just tied up Alecto Carrow alongside her brother, saw Draco twitching and groaning, his hands clenching spasmodically as his body thrashed on the bloody ground beside his clearly dead aunt. Harry looked up and saw that Rodolphus Lestrange was using the unforgivable Cruciatus Curse on his nephew and was not only repulsed by the acts of the man, but the look on his face and his heavy panting breaths. He was clearly enjoying every second of the torture he was inflicting on Draco.

Harry didn't really think about what he was going to do before it happened, but the next thing he knew a green curse was erupting from his wand, hitting Rodolphus in the chest from the side and throwing him back through the air. Draco was gasping on the ground and Harry rushed to him, slightly in shock over the fact that he'd just murdered a man who wasn't even attacking him and without a second thought.

"I got him," Harry said, offering Draco a hand. "I killed him."

"Thanks, Potter," Draco answered, accepting the hand up and getting shakily to his feet. Harry was pale and seemed a little perturbed about what he had done but Draco was grateful – he had no doubt that his uncle would have killed him for ending the life of his aunt, even if it was an accident.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, turning around and watching the fight. "I haven't seen her at all since we left the castle."

"She's around here somewhere," Draco answered, scanning the crowd while shooting ropes at the Death Eaters who were still fighting, catching them off guard and summoning their wands before they could release themselves.

Harry and Draco heard a scream tear through the air, a familiar scream that had both of their arm hair raising with the sound and the breath leaving Draco's lungs.

"Fuck," Draco hissed, taking off in the next second and running toward the sound. He burst through a group of people who'd been staying in the castle and was shocked to see Hermione surrounded by dead Death Eaters, knives protruding from many different areas of their bodies. A Death Eater was just dropping to the ground with a knife in his head when Draco appeared in front of her, relief pouring through his veins to see that she was still alive and well.

"Motherfucker!" she groaned as she gestured to the cut on her hip. It was deep and bleeding freely but didn't seem to be too dire, since Hermione was able to stand upright on her own. She looked strangely proud of herself, in that moment, and Draco thought she was radiant.

"Holy hell," Harry said in awe, his eyes wide. He'd never seen Hermione use her knives before.

"She's got more than just magical talent, Potter," Draco smirked before calling, "Accio Hermione's wand!"

Her wand shot out from one of the dead Death Eaters robes and Draco caught it easily, looking around themselves and wondering if all of the Death Eaters were dead or caught. He approached his wife and held out his hand to heal her bleeding hip, but she grabbed his hand with wild eyes and shouted, "No!"

"You need to be healed," he replied in confusion, watching as she pressed a hand to the cut on her side tightly and gave him a small smile.

"I think the fighting's finished," she said as a distraction, hoping Draco would leave her be for little while.

"That seems to be all of them," a loud voice called over the crowd, echoing across the lawns and causing everyone to fall into silence. "I already have proof about the Death Eaters who had switched sides before the war because Harry Potter provided me with a list, but I'm going to need help getting the rest of them, who've been tied up very efficiently, to the Ministry."

Hermione watched as healers started apparating into the grounds from St. Mungo's to start healing those who needed it. She turned to Draco, who was watching her through slightly narrowed eyes. She was about to tell him that she was going to go see a Healer when she realized their friends and family were gathered together not too far away. Harry joined them, leaving Hermione and Draco alone for a few moments. Looking beyond the group of their friends, she could see the bodies of humans and creatures alike spread all over the grounds. Seeing the grisly death spread around made Hermione taste bile, barely suppressing the urge to vomit. She could see the mutilated body of Lavender Brown sprawled out on the ground mere yards from where they were standing, her face left untouched.

"I'm going to go see a healer," Hermione said, gesturing to where they were gathering on the grounds.

"What? Why?! I can heal you perfectly fine," Draco said, immediately alarmed and put on his guard since she wouldn't let him be the one to heal her – something he'd never experienced with Hermione before.

"I just want a professional to deal with this," she answered, pressing her hand tightly against her side again. "I was also crucio'd and…I just want to see a Healer."

"You're fine. You've taken much worse," and he looked so guilty that Hermione wanted to hug him.

"Stop it," she mumbled, turning to him. "Stop feeling guilty for something you had no control over. Go see Harry. Look! Theo and Blaise are over there too – go see them and make sure everything went well for them."

"You don't want to see them?"

"I just want to go talk to that healer over there quick."

She was so determined that Draco just let her go, watching her retreating back in concern. It was completely unlike her to not want to see her friends after an altercation – she'd almost strangled them with her hugs after the Greengrass raid all those months ago, after all. Now they'd just ended a war and she was avoiding the most important people in her life and heading to a healer when Draco was more than capable of healing her?

He approached his friends slowly, a grin on his face as they all converged all around him – it seemed as though everyone close to him had managed to live. Blaise, Theo, Neville, his mother and father, hell, even Pansy was a welcome sight in that moment.

They were riding an adrenaline high, loudly reliving the most intense moments of the battle, their voices all mingling together as Draco looked back at his wife. He saw Ginny Longbottom rush out of the castle and nudged Neville, who looked up and saw her coming and took off at a run, meeting her halfway.

"Where's Hermione?" Theo asked, but Draco was watching everything else around him and wasn't paying attention to his friend.

Draco watched as Neville dropped to his knees in front of Ginny and rubbed his face on her stomach, making her giggle and blush while Draco rolled his eyes and searched for his wife again.

"You should have seen me take on Dolores Huntsburger," Narcissa was saying giddily, her voice sounding somewhat distant. "She thought she'd be able to take me on but she was sorely mistaken! I might need to join a dueling club," she joked, making the others around her laugh. Draco glanced at her quickly and noticed how radiant she looked – her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were alight and alive.

"They've taken every Death Eater to the Ministry already. They're very efficient –well, it probably helped that we had them all tied up and waiting," Harry told him out of the side of his mouth.

"They didn't take me, or my parents, or Blaise or Theo. Not even Pansy."

"Everyone else though," Isobel said, gesturing around the grounds. "Harry threw a fit when they tried to take your parents and the rest of the group freaked out when they tried to take Blaise and Theo. I think Pansy just slipped through the cracks, to be honest."

Draco grinned as everyone else snickered before turning away and letting their words drift over him again.

Hermione was just approaching a Healer when his eyes landed on her and she stood in front of the man, plucking at her sleeve with the hand that wasn't pressed against the wound on her hip. Draco raised an eyebrow at her nervousness and slowly drifted closer, desperate to know what she was telling the healer. He saw the Healer turn to Hermione in alarm, judging by his suddenly stiff posture and the way his jaw dropped as she was speaking. He grabbed Hermione's arm rather roughly and pulled her toward the castle doors, casting a quick charm on her side that had her face dropping the pained lines that had been creasing it.

Draco sprinted off as soon as Hermione started climbing the stairs, wondering what she was keeping from him. Did something happen? She must have been fairly hurt if the Healer was taking her inside. Maybe a hemorrhage? Internal bleeding?

"Draco!" he heard from behind him, but he continued running toward the castle, dodging the bodies on the ground as he tried to get to his wife. "Draco, come back!"

It was Theo. Draco knew without even looking that his friends were behind him, probably followed by his parents and Potter. He didn't care in that moment – he didn't care about anything in that moment other than finding out what was wrong with Hermione.

"Draco," Neville called, obviously assuming that he was running toward the Longbottoms, but Ginny took one look at his frantic face and gripped Neville's arm as he went flying by them.

They looked in the direction he came from and saw their other friends approaching alarmingly fast.

"Should we follow?" Ginny asked, confused.

"I think so…" Neville answered, sounding a confused but also concerned. They watched as Draco mounted the stairs two at a time and then rushed off to follow him, Ginny a little slower than she would normally be.

"What are we running for?" she asked Theo breathlessly as he caught up with her.

"I don't know!" Theo rasped back, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the fact that they were all running like lunatics through the grounds littered with death even though none of them knew why.

Draco rushed crashed through the castle doors and then stopped, unsure how he'd find his wife in the large castle. He stood perfectly still for a moment and allowed his instincts to take over – that would be a foolproof way to find her.

She seemed alarmed and… off. He hadn't needed to find her by using their bond in quite a while; now that he had, he realized that something wasn't quite right.

And she was scared.

Draco heard feet on the stairs and took off running again, this time for the hospital wing. What was she so afraid of? The hard part of their lives was over – the war was over! She should be anything but scared at that exact point in life. She should have been happy and relieved and bursting with joy that they'd managed to take Tom down and live to tell the tale.

"Hermione?!" he gasped, bursting through the doors of the hospital wing extremely dramatically. The room was full of patients and everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him – an act that made his cheeks redden. For some reason, he hadn't even considered all the other people who were in need of healing, but he'd just made an ass out of himself in front of them all.

He brushed it aside and prowled through the room, looking for his wife and ignoring the small sniggers coming from a few of the people who'd definitely seen him explode through the doors.

There was a small area at the very end of the infirmary that was sectioned off by curtains. He let the bond guide him and knew for sure that his wife was in that tiny little area, so he rushed forward and pushed his way through.

He wasn't expecting to see his wife laying on a small cot with her robes off and her shirt gone; she was laying in nothing but her bra and had pushed herself onto her elbows when he'd entered the makeshift room. Her hip wound had been healed but there was still an angry red line marring her skin where it had been split open only minutes before.

The Healer turned when he pushed into the room and then he glanced down at Hermione in surprise.

"If you want to be alone in here, miss, that's totally understandable," he said, his eyes narrowed slightly. He was clearly unimpressed that Draco had pushed his way into an examination room without any permission.

"Excuse me?" Draco growled, instantly put on his guard. "This is my wife."

"Well, your wife is allowed her privacy during Healer visits," the other man said stiffly.

"It's fine," Hermione said, diffusing the tense moment. "He's definitely allowed to be here."

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, totally confused about why she'd be laying there in her bra. "Are you okay? Do you have internal bleeding, or something? You should have told me if you weren't feeling well."

"We're checking for internal bleeding right now, actually," the Healer said, producing a contraption that Draco had never seen before.

He put some sort of lubrication on Hermione's stomach, which had her breathing in sharply at the contact before she looked at him and smiled again.

"Do you think you've got some sort of internal bleeding from falling down those stairs?" Draco asked, still confused. Hermione flinched at his words and the Healer looked at her sharply.

"You never mentioned falling down any stairs, Mrs. Malfoy! You only mentioned the curse you'd been under!"

"I… forgot about the stairs. I fell down the stairs while under the curse, so it makes sense I'd forget about it."

"What's that?" Draco asked, gesturing to the machine the Healer was preparing. It had a big screen on the front and some sort of probe connected to it with a wire.

"It's an ultrasound machine," the man informed him, powering it up with a flick of his wand. "It's so we can look at the inside of the body," he explained a little more when he realized that Draco was still looking confused.

"You can see if she's bleeding with it?"

The Healer looked at Hermione, then to Draco, then back to Hermione before flicking his wand again and powering down the machine. "Maybe you should talk?"

Hermione took a breath and the Healer backed out of the curtains – Draco could see the small crowd their friends made by the doors of the hospital wing as the curtains spread and his heart started beating faster as he turned back to Hermione.

Something wasn't right.

"Why are we here?" Draco asked, approaching his wife who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling.

Hermione took a deep breath and ran a finger through the weird gel on her stomach, grimacing before wiping it on the bed.

"I think I'm pregnant."

Draco straightened. He stared at Hermione for a solid twenty seconds before he blinked.

"What?"

Hermione didn't say anything, just stared at Draco while he processed what she'd just said. She had at least had a few weeks for it to process in her brain and wouldn't be surprised if Draco needed just as much time to work through the shock.

"But… I don't understand," Draco said, sitting heavily on the opposite side of the bed.

"Well, Draco, when a man and a woman love each other…"

"I just-I mean-I don't know how it happened."

"Well when the sperm is released…"

"Hermione," Draco groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "I just thought we were careful, that's all."

"We were, but I'm sure we've had sex more than once and forgot to cast the spell."

Draco thought about it for a few moments. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. So… you don't know for sure?"

"No, and then with the curse and the stairs and the cut… plus all the stress… I don't know. That's what I'm here to find out."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, turning to her. He looked forlorn and Hermione felt guilty suddenly.

"I didn't know for sure and with everything happening I just didn't want to worry you."

Draco sighed. "I'm worried now."

"I'm worried now, too," Hermione said, her voice shaking slightly.

Draco got off the bed and rounded it, pulling Hermione into his arms and whispering, "A baby."

"Maybe," she said, not willing to get his hopes up.

"You're getting the gel on your shirt," Hermione whispered after a moment, Draco holding her to his body tightly to his own and rocking her slightly.

"I don't care," he answered, whispering too. "A baby."

"Maybe," she said again.

"I'm going to get the healer," Draco said after another moment, putting her down gently and leaving the makeshift room to find the man who had the opportunity to change his life completely.

Hermione lay back down on the bed, her nerves frayed and on edge as she waited for Draco and the healer to come back, which they did after a few moments.

"Are we ready?" the man asked hurriedly. Hermione felt bad for wasting his time when there were so many other people who needed help.

Hermione nodded and Draco moved forward and clasped her hand tightly in his larger one, his stomach churning with anxiety.

The Healer powered the machine up again with another flick of his wand and put more gel on Hermione's stomach before he placed the strange probe there and started moving it around, clearly looking for something.

He kept his mouth pinched shut and his face stoic as he watched the screen, which made no sense to Draco as he tried to decipher what he was seeing. He let out a shuddering breath and looked back down at Hermione, who had her eyes closed.

The Healer turned abruptly and removed the probe, powering down the machine with a swift movement before flicking his wand at Hermione stomach, causing the gel to disappear.

"It looks like everything is on the up and up," the Healer said, turning toward them with a smile.

"Meaning?" Draco choked out, as Hermione sat up and stared at the man with a strange longing in her eye.

"Meaning you're both going to be parents in about seven months. Congratulations."

"Seriously?" Draco asked, sitting down on the side of the bed roughly, making Hermione bounce a few times.

"Seriously."

"And everything is okay?! I mean she took a curse and fell down stairs! Thank fuck it wasn't anything worse – it could have been so much worse. Can you imagine?! That was a war! We were just fighting in a war and it was definitely a possibility that something even worse could have happened. Hermione! You're two months pregnant! You took a curse and fell down stairs – stone stairs – while two months pregnant! Are you insane?" he hissed the last question, turning to her sharply.

"I didn't know," she said, trying not to laugh. This was clearly Draco's freak out about the fact that he'd be a parent and she was going to let him have it.

"We're going to be parents. Oh, God, I'm going to be a father. I'm going to be the worst father imaginable, I just know it."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said, standing up and pulling on her shirt while the Healer hovered in the background. "Is there anything I need to know?"

"Yes," he said, snapping to attention, glad that he could get this over with. "You need to take this potion every day – morning or night – whichever works best for you." He handed her a prescription paper for her to take to her nearest apothecary in case she didn't feel up to brewing it herself, but she already had a large stock from brewing the potion for Ginny, so she figured she'd be fine without going to buy it. "You also need to take this potion whenever you're feeling sick, it'll help keep the morning sickness at bay when it hits but that shouldn't be a problem for much longer."

"I haven't had any yet," she said, suddenly wondering why.

"Some people don't get it at all, so don't worry and consider yourself lucky."

"Well, thank you," Hermione said, itching to get out of the hospital wing – she'd never liked the way they smelled and she hated to think about the fact that she was surrounded by sick people.

Hermione plucked the vial from the Healer's hand and downed it in one go as Draco nuzzled into her side, taking in her scent and feeling more grounded from having her so close. He relaxed into her but could feel the tension and worry in her, which in turn caused his own fears to arise because of the damn bond they shared.

"I think we should enjoy this secret between us for the next couple weeks. I'm still not out of the danger zone and even though the Healer just said everything's perfect there's still a chance that I could lose the baby. It would be heartbreaking…and not only for us, but everyone else if they knew and we did lose it. We've all just been through a terrible ordeal, and I don't want to take the chance of hurting our friends and family even more. Let's just keep this to ourselves until we know for sure," Hermione whispered into Draco's hair since his head was lowered onto her chest. He could feel how tense she was, waiting for his answer.

He slowly lifted his head and met her eyes, noting how worried she seemed.

"I'd love for everyone to know, but you're right. Especially considering what will be taking place over the next few weeks – all the trials and trying to figure out who should be in Azkaban and who shouldn't. Never mind the fact that my father will be fighting for his Minister position."

"Everyone will be busy and worried and there's no need for us to add to their stress," Hermione said, nodding.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety, Mrs. Malfoy – both of you – and if keeping it to ourselves will make you happy and feel better about everything then we can definitely do that."

"Good," Hermione said, letting out a sigh that had her sagging forward slightly as the tension left her muscles.

Draco pressed a kiss onto her head before he helped her to her feet. "We need to get out there though, Hermione; everybody's waiting for us. They saw me running and they followed me here and are probably incredibly worried about the fact that they haven't seen you, yet."

"We'll stick with the internal bleeding story, for now," Hermione said, smoothing out her shirt before picking up her robes and slinging them over her arm. "Let's get out there, I'm sure they're dying to hear the truth about Voldemort's defeat.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N- I am so sorry! I dropped my laptop ages ago and the touchpad was hanging on by a thread and... the thread broke. I bought a new desktop though, so we're good! Anyway here's the last chapter and I really want to thank you all for being here on this wild ride with me, it has truly been amazing! I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations!**

 **Thank you to Nina, my beta, and KomeKozzy425 my friend, for all the help with this story - I appreciate it and you're awesome!**

 **Epilogue**

Hermione found herself pushing through the crowds of the Ministry just after lunch on a Thursday. People would see who she was and try and get out of the way, but since it was so busy there was nowhere for them to go.

"Sorry, Mrs. Malfoy," she heard more often than not. She tried to smile at the people who were avoiding her large belly, even though she knew she was grimacing. The family had decided that she'd remain Mrs. Malfoy while Narcissa kept the title Lady Malfoy; it seemed respectful and wasn't anything that Hermione was worried about.

"Is the Minister in?" she asked as politely as she could when she finally made it to the reception area.

"Sir Lucius Malfoy is scheduled for a late lunch, ma'am, but he's already told me that any family can wait for him in his office."

Hermione let out a breath and entered her father-in-law's office, lowering herself gently into a chair and wondering where Draco was. He'd taken an Auror position alongside Harry, Blaise and Theo because despite the polite incredulity of most Ministry officials, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of the Auror office, could see the potential in all four men. They'd been completely cleared of all of their crimes by use of Veritaserum in a small hearing before the hard trials began. Once it had been proven that they had all been under the influence of mind altering potions, poisons, or curses, Kingsley had approached them in turn and offered them a position, which they happily took.

Molly Weasley had tried to disparage Hermione and Draco about the death of her son, Ron Weasley, but Hermione stood her ground. In a trial she stood up and fully admitted that she'd killed Ron but she was determined to make it clear that not only had he attacked her and murdered her parents previously, he had then attacked her again and caused her to fall down the stairs and put the life of her unborn child in jeopardy. She was well within in her rights to demand the life of someone who'd caused her so much pain and grief, should she be powerful enough to enact her justice; she didn't go into details about what had happened that night and no one asked.

She was pitied enough for the things she'd gone through that no one wanted to be the first to ask.

Molly Weasley was all but ostracized in society for continuing to speak ill of Hermione and her husband, not to mention that she'd caused a civil disturbance, walking around Hogsmeade screaming that Harry Potter was a traitor to the light, even though he'd killed Tom Riddle.

The woman had done nothing but damage her own reputation and she spent her time at home with her husband, barely seeing the children she had who were alive because they were so ashamed of her and her actions.

The Ministry of Magic had a hell of a time sorting out who was being forced and who was acting of their own accord, but after a few weeks they'd had everything sorted out. They hadn't caught every single Death Eater, because some were smart enough to get away before the Auror's began their arrests – a point that made Hermione more nervous than anything; she didn't need to be revisited by any of the people she'd once spent her time with before the final battle of the war had taken place. No one had seen hide nor hair of the missing Death Eater's since the final battle and it worried Hermione but she didn't bring it up with her husband much. He'd made sure their home was secure before he started working full time and if that was good enough for him then it was good enough for her.

She shuddered when she thought about the insane witches and wizards on the loose who wanted nothing more than those who brought down Voldemort dead, but pushed it to the side as she remembered Lucius' fight to keep his position. It was clear that he'd also been under the influence and the citizens – especially those that had resided in the castle of Hogwarts before the war – had demanded he be kept where he was. He was running things smoothly and the people moaning about a Death Eater being in that position had to admit that he had everything under control and was actually doing things better than their previous Ministers.

Hermione took a deep breath as another pain rippled through her abdomen, remembering how their friends and family had taken the news about her pregnancy. As planned, they'd waited until everything had died down, to so they wouldn't be stressing everyone out even more.

/

 _The entire group of them, including Pansy, who had somehow pushed her way into their lives, were at Malfoy Manor for a congratulatory dinner for Lucius, since he'd secured the post of Minister._

 _"_ _I have some news," Draco said, getting to his feet and commanding the attention of everyone at the table. "Hermione's pregnant."_

 _The table went silent and Hermione felt her cheeks heating up – the way Draco had just informed everyone sounded almost like a challenge, like he dared them to say something negative._

 _Narcissa screamed all of a sudden and jumped to her feet, rounding the table and pulling Hermione into her arms, which was really just Narcissa strong arming Hermione around the neck as she reached for Draco. Hermione coughed and sputtered, garnering the attention of the woman strangling her and Narcissa jumped away, tears swimming in her eyes._

 _"_ _This is wonderful!" she squealed, and Hermione met a grinning Draco's eyes. "Aren't you excited?" she asked her son, swatting him on the arm._

 _"_ _Of course I'm excited!"_

 _"_ _Congratulations," everyone else was saying, and Hermione was pretty sure that she'd seen Blaise wiping his eyes on his hand and Pansy, who for some reason was there, was grinning stupidly. Ginny, who was a few months farther along than Hermione, was exclaiming in giddy amazement that their children would be around the same age. Hermione stifled a grin as her two friends commented to anyone that would listen that once they were older, they might even end up dating._

 _"_ _Do you know what the gender is?" Lucius asked after shaking his son's hand and squeezing Hermione's warmly, taking his seat again._

 _"_ _No. We aren't going to find out until the birth."_

 _Silence met Draco's words._

 _"_ _You aren't finding out?!" Pansy demanded, looking at them like they were crazy._

 _"_ _We're waiting until it's born. We don't care what the baby is as long as it's healthy."_

 _"_ _That's admirable," Harry said as Pansy looked at them like they'd lost their minds._

/

Their friends had been a little overwhelming since they'd found out about the pregnancy. Hermione was glad that they all cared as much as they did; of course, that meant nothing considering that Hermione was going into labour and couldn't find anyone.

Draco was working and Hermione wasn't allowed to contact him while he was on a mission because it could easily give away their position and if they were in a tough spot it would just distract him and his team, something she refused to be responsible for.

Another pain rippled through her body but she hummed through it, trying to distract her mind.

Where the hell was Lucius?!

Narcissa was gone for the weekend with her dueling club for a tournament in Italy where Hermione was sure she was kicking ass and taking names. Hermione had sent her an owl but by the time it reached her mother-in-law there was a good possibility she'd already have the baby.

Hermione sighed and heaved herself to her feet, deciding to go back to Hogwarts and find Neville, who'd taken over as Herbology professor, and Ginny, who lived on campus with their beautiful baby girl, Alice. She was pushing her way back through the crowds so she could get to the Atrium and to the fireplaces so she could floo to her office at Hogwarts.

/

 _"_ _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be open again starting September the first," Lucius announced to the crowds. "I know that's only seven months from now, but it will give families time to mourn and the magical community to rebuild and regroup. It's now being run by my very own daughter-in-law, Hermione Malfoy. Candidates to fill vacant staff positions have already been contacted, and everything is in order to begin teaching the great young minds waiting to eagerly hone their skills of magic."_

 _Cheers erupted all around and Hermione, who, at two months wasn't showing at all, waved to everyone._

 _"_ _It'll be strange starting the school up only a few weeks after I have our child," Hermione admitted to Draco that night in their bed. But I'm so glad Neville and Ginny will be staying there as well – she'll be a lot of help, I'm sure. You know, I don't remember ever seeing spouses or children while we were in school, but they had to be there, right? There's no way all of our teachers were single."_

 _"_ _Well, now that you're Headmistress you're able to change things. Husbands will definitely be there, as well as children," he said, rolling into her and pulling her into his arms. "I refuse to be away from you and baby Malfoy for months on end while you teach a bunch of snot-nosed kids how to get through life without starting a war."_

 _Hermione giggled and they lay in silence for a few moments._

 _"_ _I don't understand something," Hermione said after a moment, causing Draco to lean away from her in shock._

 _"_ _Hermione Malfoy, not understanding things?!"_

 _"_ _I'm being serious," she said, swatting at him. "Why was there a prophecy about me? I didn't do much in the war to bring it to an end…"_

 _Draco was silent for a moment, staring at Hermione as the wheels in his mind turned._

 _"_ _You may not have fought, but you definitely got the ball rolling. We figured out that we were being poisoned and what not, you got to Harry and made him realize what was going on, and you arranged a following that helped to take down Tom. I think it makes perfect sense that there was a prophecy concerning you."_

 _"_ _Oh," Hermione answered, her cheeks reddening. "I guess it's in the eye of the beholder, then. Tom thought I would be helpful to him, not detrimental in bringing him down."_

 _"_ _Interesting, isn't it?" Draco asked, tightening his arms around her and resting his hands on her still flat stomach._

/

Hermione had almost reached the floo points in the Atrium when, both elated and groaning inside, she recognized a woman walking in her direction. Just then, another contraction tore through her stomach and the mental complaints subsided as she realized she was glad there was at least someone she knew in the vicinity.

"Pansy! Thank fucking God!"

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione was panting and felt a little sweaty as she gripped Pansy's arm tightly.

"Oh, shit, you're in labour, aren't you?"

"I can't find anyone else and it wasn't supposed to happen for another two weeks. This wasn't supposed to happen, Pansy, and I can't contact Draco, Theo, Blaise or Harry. I don't know where Lucius is, Narcissa's in Italy, and I can't find Neville or Ginny and I'm freaking out because this wasn't supposed to happen for another two weeks! Two weeks!"

"Okay," Pansy said slowly, worry drawing her eyebrows together. "Let's get you to St. Mungo's and I'll do everything I can to find everyone you need, we need to get you there first though, okay?"

Hermione nodded, clutching Pansy's arm tightly. She allowed her once female nemesis, whom she was glad to note had settled into her life and marriage fairly well, to lead her to a fireplace and floo her to St. Mungo's Maternity Ward, where they had her in a room and a hospital gown within minutes. Pansy began pacing around, sending patronus Pomeranians fleeing left, right and center, not caring in the least about disrupting Draco. Hermione had a moment where she felt completely stupid for sending her mother-in-law an owl instead of a patronus.

Three hours later, no one had shown up, Pansy was still pacing, and Hermione's labour had escalated quickly.

"Oh God," she said seconds before another contraction took her. She was sweating profusely now and there were Healers and Medi-Witches in the room. On top of the labour she was concerned and worried about her family and friends and she was refusing to bear down and push until Draco was there.

She wouldn't have his baby until he was with her.

"You have to push, Hermione!"

"I can't, I can't do this without Draco," she cried, tears of frustration gathering in her eyes.

"I'm here, Love," a voice said from the door and Pansy shrieked in relief as Hermione started sobbing. "I'm sorry it took so long. I had to get an international portkey."

"I-I'll be in the hall," an extremely white Pansy stuttered before fleeing the room.

She closed the door on a sobbing Hermione, as Draco approached her and took her hand. Pansy vowed to herself in that moment that she wouldn't ever have a child. That situation was enough of a version of birth control for her; she could do without all the contracting and crazy hormones and sobbing and attempting to expel a body from her own.

No, thank you.

Pansy walked into the waiting room and grinned to see her husband and friends there. "She's doing well. Much better now that Draco's with her. I don't think it'll take long, now," Pansy said with a grimace before moving into Marcus' arms, a little nauseated by what she'd seen that afternoon.

"Thankfully you were there for her," Narcissa said, her face white as a sheet as Neville came into the room, followed closely by Ginny who was clutching baby Alice in her arms. "I can't even imagine how scared the poor girl was."

"She was trying to hold it together, I think, but the second she saw me she was almost hysterical. Once I got her here she calmed down somewhat and I started trying to contact everyone."

"How far along is she?" Ginny asked after passing Alice to a waiting Narcissa, beginning to pace.

"She's in hard labour, Gin. It shouldn't be long, now."

"Draco's with her?"

"Yeah," Harry groaned. "We were in America and received a frantic patronus from Pansy."

"We packed up immediately and went to the Ministry over there for a portkey back here, but it took some time," Blaise said, picking up on the story. "You should have seen Draco – he was freaking out, yelling at everyone, it was awesome."

"Yeah, awesome until he almost got us thrown in jail."

"I hope she's all right."

"She's fine, I mean other than the fact that she's pushing a baby out of her vagina," Pansy said with a small shudder.

They lapsed into silence, everyone watching Narcissa playing with Alice with small smiles on their faces.

"You're going to be great with the new baby," Lucius said, smiling at his wife. She had always wanted more children but it just hadn't been in the cards for them.

"I just love babies," she breathed, and then perked up and sat up straight when they heard pounding footsteps running toward them.

"Boy!" Draco shouted, bounding into the room with a large grin splitting his face. He couldn't ever remember being so happy. "He's perfect! 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 18 inches long. He has all ten fingers and all ten toes and he and Hermione are both doing great!"

Everyone jumped up and expressed their congratulations to Draco, pulling him into a hug and clapping him on the back.

Draco looked at everyone smiling, all of his friends – people he cared for like he wouldn't believe possible – and grinned, thanking them for their well wishes before turning away and heading back to his wife.

He knew in that moment that everything in his life would be great.


End file.
